The development of all-solid-state cells is no longer a mere hypothesis today. As part of the Safelimove project, we assessed the safety of hybrid polymer cells of 1 Ah and 3 Ah, which led to a publication. Additionally, within the Sublime project, we evaluated the safety of 1 Ah sulfide-based cells (argyrodite), and a publication is currently being submitted.

With the arrival of these new cells, it becomes even more crucial to support their development with a detailed safety assessment and the identification of the complex mechanisms involved. Large-scale instruments such as synchrotrons and neutron reactors offer a powerful opportunity to achieve this goal, as they provide the best spatial and temporal resolutions. For example, thanks to fast X-ray radiography at ESRF, it is possible to visualize the inside of a cell during thermal runaway, thereby identifying the local impact of (electro)chemical reactions on the microstructure of components and validating our thermal runaway models. Moreover, with wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), it is possible to monitor in situ the evolution of the crystalline structure of active materials during a very rapid thermal runaway reaction. Indeed, synchrotron radiation allows the acquisition of one diffractogram every 3 milliseconds. The neutron beam at ILL also enables us to track the evolution of lithium metal structure before, during, and after runaway. It is important to emphasize that these three techniques are currently mastered by the LAPS teams and have already led, or will lead, to publications.

Furthermore, new complementary techniques may be explored, such as studying the impact of thermal/mechanical stress on active materials using the BM32 beamline, or evaluating the oxidation states of metals via X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) on ID26.

More conventional laboratory characterizations will also be carried out, such as DSC, TGA-MS, and XRD.

As part of our various collaborations, the cathode active materials will likely include NMC, LMFP, and NVPF. The electrolytes used will be based on sulfide, halide, or polymer, while the anode will consist of lithium metal, lithium-silicon alloy, or hard carbon. The thesis will aim, among other things, to identify, depending on the materials used, whether reactions occur before cathode destabilization, whether the solid electrolyte reacts with the oxygen from the cathode or with the anode material, and whether these parallel reactions contribute to better or worse cell safety.

The three years of the PhD will be structured as follows: the first year will be dedicated to a literature review and the characterization of sulfide technology. Following the first milestones (1st CSI) and the evaluation of ongoing work on sulfides, the second year will focus either on sodium-ion technology or on further development of sulfide technology. Finally, the third year, in addition to the thesis writing, will concentrate more specifically on the impact of the identified materials on safety.