August 11th, 2026

Batteries lose lithium to the current collector

Observations using atom probe tomography confirm the suspicion that in lithium batteries, lithium ions are lost to the copper current collector. This could limit their performance and lifespan. Researchers from the Helmholtz Institute Ulm / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, led by Prof. Dr. Dominic Bresser, together with Ruhr University Bochum, led by Prof. Dr. Tong Li, have now used atom probe tomography to demonstrate that lithium ions become incorporated into the copper current collector. Every loss of lithium leads to a loss of capacity in lithium batteries and shortens their lifespan.

The work was funded by the European Union through the European Research Council Grants “INTERACT” and “RACER.”

The original publication from July 10, 2026 in Advanced Energy Materials:

https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.71291

© Photo by: Tong Li