Today, we rely heavily on portable electric energy to power cell phones, computers, cars, and other electronic devices. Lithium-ion batteries play a crucial role in these devices, due to their compact size and high energy density. These types of batteries are constantly being studied to understand what provides a more efficient battery, longer lifetime, and to prevent failures. This investigation spans across many stages of the battery production process: raw materials, research and development, component assembly, packaged batteries, battery testing, and battery recycling.

The work here will present how elemental analysis plays a role into each of the aspects in the battery production process. The main components of a battery are made up of an anode, electrolyte, and cathode. Using ICP based methods, we can determine contaminants in the anode and cathode starting materials by ICP-OES, investigate electrolyte solutions for degradation products by LC-ICP-MS or -OES, and understand the elemental make-up of the SEI or CEI layers on cycled anodes/cathodes by LA-ICP-MS and LIBS.