Series-Parallel Testing of Laboratory Lithium-Ion Cells: Not All Coin Cells Are Created Equal
4 affiliations
- 1South Dakota School of Mines and Technology , , , ,
- 2Syracuse University , , , ,
- 3Arbin Instruments , 762 Peach Creek Cut off , , ,
- 4South Dakota Mines , , , ,
Abstract
This work evaluates parallel battery testing as a research tool for assessing both the reproducibility of laboratory-fabricated cells and the effects of cell-to-cell variation during pack-relevant operation. Eight hand-assembled CR2032 Li||LFP half-cells were tested using both parallel differential battery testing and conventional linear battery testing. Although all cells were prepared from the same nominal materials and procedures, SEM/EDS and electrochemical results showed measurable variability arising from microscale heterogeneity in the hand-cast cathodes and lithium metal anodes. These differences became more pronounced at higher C-rates, where weaker cells delivered lower capacity and contributed less effectively during coupled operation. Parallel testing revealed unequal current sharing, post-discharge equalization behavior, and broader performance differences than linear testing, while impedance measurements confirmed that intrinsic cell-to-cell differences persisted throughout cycling. Overall, the results show that parallel battery testing provides information beyond conventional single-cell measurements and is an effective method for evaluating reproducibility and pack-relevant cell behavior in laboratory-scale batteries.
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BibTeX
@article{rodmyre2026seriesparallel,
title = {{Series-Parallel Testing of Laboratory Lithium-Ion Cells: Not All Coin Cells Are Created Equal}},
author = {Collin Rodmyre and Bryce Watson and Karen Ly and Quinn Qiao and Ghazaleh Lane and John Zhang and Alevtina L. Smirnova},
journal = {ACS omega},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acsomega.6c05674},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13670844},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Series-Parallel Testing of Laboratory Lithium-Ion Cells: Not All Coin Cells Are Created Equal
AU - Collin Rodmyre
AU - Bryce Watson
AU - Karen Ly
AU - Quinn Qiao
AU - Ghazaleh Lane
AU - John Zhang
AU - Alevtina L. Smirnova
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - ACS omega
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.6c05674
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13670844
AB - This work evaluates parallel battery testing as a research tool for assessing both the reproducibility of laboratory-fabricated cells and the effects of cell-to-cell variation during pack-relevant operation. Eight hand-assembled CR2032 Li||LFP half-cells were tested using both parallel differential battery testing and conventional linear battery testing. Although all cells were prepared from the same nominal materials and procedures, SEM/EDS and electrochemical results showed measurable variability arising from microscale heterogeneity in the hand-cast cathodes and lithium metal anodes. These differences became more pronounced at higher C-rates, where weaker cells delivered lower capacity and contributed less effectively during coupled operation. Parallel testing revealed unequal current sharing, post-discharge equalization behavior, and broader performance differences than linear testing, while impedance measurements confirmed that intrinsic cell-to-cell differences persisted throughout cycling. Overall, the results show that parallel battery testing provides information beyond conventional single-cell measurements and is an effective method for evaluating reproducibility and pack-relevant cell behavior in laboratory-scale batteries.
SN - 2470-1343
ER -