For as much capacity lithium-ion batteries have, their useful lifespan is generally measured in the hundreds of cycles. This degradation is caused by the electrodes themselves degrading, including the graphite anode in certain battery configurations fracturing. For a few years it’s been known that pulsed current (PC) charging can prevent much of this damage compared to constant current (CC) charging. The mechanism behind this was the subject of a recent research article by [Jia Guo] and colleagues as published in Advanced Energy Materials.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://hackaday.com/2024/04/16/why-pulse-current-charging-lithium-ion-batteries-extends-their-useful-lifespan/