5. Conclusion

The theoretical elements discussed in this article are the minimum required to explain the operation of a lithium-ion battery, the complexity of which will never cease to occupy electrochemists. Nearly two hundred equations later, you'd think we'd covered it all. However, a closer look at the different scales and constituents involved reveals that there are still a significant number of phenomena that we haven't taken into account, and which have an impact on the battery's electrical behavior.

As far as the electrolyte is concerned, the fact that we've neglected the solvent means that we can't understand the solid layers appearing at the interfaces between the electrolyte and the particles of active material on the electrodes. However, it is precisely the changes in the thickness and composition of these layers that enable us to understand, in the short term, the...