The role of chemo-mechanical modelling in the development of battery technology – a perspective

In the race to reduce global CO2 emissions and achieve net-zero, chemomechanics must play a critical role in the technological development of current and next-generation batteries to improve their energy storage capabilities and their lifetime. Many degradation processes arise through mechanics via the development of diffusion-induced stress and volumetric strains within the various constituent materials in a battery. From particle cracking in lithium-ion batteries to lithium dendrite-based fracture of solid electrolytes in solid-state batteries, it is clear that significant barriers exist in the development of these energy storage systems, where chemomechanics plays a central part. To accelerate technological and scientific advances in this area, multi-scale and highly coupled multiphysics modelling must be carried out that includes mechanics-based phenomena. In this perspective article, we provide an introduction to chemomechanical modelling, the various physical problems that it addresses, and the issues that need to be resolved in order to expand its use within the field of battery technology.