What is a battery analyzer?
A battery analyzer, or battery cycler, is an electronic instrument designed to measure and control the voltage and current of a battery or battery prototype. It applies various signals, such as constant voltage or current, voltage ramps, and alternating current (AC), to evaluate electrochemical properties and battery performance.
Functions and Measurements
A battery analyzer provides detailed insights into key battery characteristics, including:
- Open Circuit Voltage (OCV or OCP): Measures the battery’s potential at different states of charge.
- Charge and Discharge Voltage and Current: Monitors voltage and current during cycling.
- Capacity Determination: Evaluates how much energy the battery can store and deliver.
- Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS): Assesses internal resistance and reaction kinetics.
- Polarization Curves: Analyzes power efficiency and electrochemical performance.
What are battery analyzers used for?
Battery analyzers play a critical role in assessing performance, stability, and durability, helping to determine capacity, state of charge (SoC), and state of health (SoH). Given the close relationship between battery research and electrochemistry, the potentiostats can be used as battery analyzers. These instruments provide controlled voltage and current application, along with electrochemical measurement capabilities that align with battery testing requirements.
Differences in naming of electrochemical technques
| Icon | Battery Analyzer | Potentiostat (for fundamental Electrochemistry) |
| Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) | Open Circuit Potential (OCP) | |
| Constant Voltage (CV) | Chronoamperometry | |
| Constant Current (CC) | Chronopotenciometry | |
| Linear Polarization | Linear Sweep Voltammetry | |
| Cyclic Polarization | Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) |
As potentiostats were originally developed for basic electrochemistry, they use a terminology and interface that may be familiar to electrochemists, but not so much to battery scientists or engineers. As an example, here are some techniques that have specific names, with their equivalent in a potentiostat:
Typical requirements for a battery analyzer
Battery testing often involves higher current levels and longer experiment durations compared to other electrochemical experiments. Some durability assessments require thousands of charge-discharge cycles, extending over days, weeks, or even months. The ability to maintain stable operation over extended periods is essential to ensure reliable data collection and uninterrupted testing. In addition, battery researchers often rely on specialized data visualization methods that facilitate comparative analysis of battery performance.
Nexus battery cycler