Capacity loss

Capacity loss or capacity fading is a phenomenon observed in rechargeable battery usage where the amount of charge a battery can deliver at the rated voltage decreases with use.

In a 2026 meta-analysis, it was reported that the capacity loss in lithium-ion batteries was on average 0.23%/cycle (median 0.04%/cycle) before reaching capacity loss of 20%, by which batteries are generally considered having reached the end of their operational life.

Stress factors

Capacity fading in Li-ion batteries occurs by a multitude of stress factors, including ambient temperature, discharge C-rate, and state of charge (SOC).

Capacity loss is strongly temperature-dependent. Aging rates increase as temperatures rise or fall above or below 25 °C.

Capacity loss is C-rate sensitive and higher C-rates lead to a faster capacity loss on a per cycle. Chemical mechanisms of degradation in a Li-ion battery dominate capacity loss at low C-rates, whereas, mechanical degradation dominates at high C-rates.

Graphite/LiCoO2 battery capacity degradation is reported to be affected by mean SOC as well as the change in SOC (ΔSOC) during the cycling operation. For the first 500 equivalent full cycles mean SOC is found to have a major effect on the capacity fade of cells as compared to ΔSOC. However, towards the end of the testing (600~800 equivalent cycles) ΔSOC becomes the major factor affecting the capacity loss rate of the cells.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Xia, Y. (1997). "Capacity Fading on Cycling of 4 V Li/LiMn2O4 Cells". Journal of the Electrochemical Society. 144 (8): 2593–2600. Bibcode:1997JElS..144.2593X. doi:10.1149/1.1837870.
  2. ↑ Amatucci, G. (1996). "Cobalt dissolution in LiCoO2-based non-aqueous rechargeable batteries". Solid State Ionics. 83 (1–2): 167–173. doi:10.1016/0167-2738(95)00231-6.
  3. ↑ Ligorati, Matteo; Geyer-Klingeberg, Jerome; Günther, Timon E.; Rathgeber, Andreas W. (2026-04-01). "Degradation of lithium-ion batteries: A meta-analysis". Chemical Engineering Journal. 533: 174528. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2026.174528. ISSN 1385-8947.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  4. ↑ Fischer, Marco; Brand, Martin Johannes; Karger, Alexander; Gomez, Manuel Rubio; Rehm, Mathias; Natterer, Johannes; Jossen, Andreas (2025-11). "How degradation of lithium-ion batteries impacts capacity fade and resistance increase: A systematic, correlative analysis". Journal of Power Sources. 656: 237921. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.237921. ISSN 0378-7753. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  5. ↑ Waldmann, Thomas (September 2014). "Temperature dependent ageing mechanisms in Lithium-ion batteries – A Post-Mortem study". Journal of Power Sources. 262: 129–135. Bibcode:2014JPS...262..129W. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.03.112.
  6. ↑ W. Diao, Y. Xing, S. Saxena, and M. Pecht (2018). "Evaluation of Present Accelerated Temperature Testing and Modeling of Batteries". Applied Sciences. 8 (10): 1786. doi:10.3390/app8101786.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ C. Snyder (2016). "The Effects of charge/discharge Rate on Capacity Fade of Lithium Ion Batteries". Bibcode:2016PhDT.......260S. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ↑ S. Saxena, Y. Xing, D. Kwon, and M. Pecht (2019). "Accelerated degradation model for C-rate loading of lithium-ion batteries". International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems. 107: 438–445. Bibcode:2019IJEPE.107..438S. doi:10.1016/j.ijepes.2018.12.016. S2CID 115690338.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ S. Saxena, C. Hendricks, and M. Pecht (September 2016). "Cycle life testing and modeling of graphite/LiCoO2 cells under different state of charge ranges". Journal of Power Sources. 327: 394–400. Bibcode:2016JPS...327..394S. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.07.057.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)