Screening new cell chemistries using traditional electrochemical methods is a time prohibitive process that significantly slows the pace of research. These methods involve cycling the cell until signs of degradation or sufficient capacity fade are evident, typically taking months to complete. In-operando isothermal microcalorimetry is an established technique for measuring the activity of parasitic, or non-reversible, side reactions during cycling. Screening new cell chemistries by cycling to failure will often takes months, but measuring the average parasitic heat over the full voltage range can be done in 1-2 weeks. If only a narrow voltage range is of interest, the experiment time can be reduced to 2-3 days. As a screening tool, this data could be used to select the battery formulations most likely to meet performance goals in long-term cycling experiments, rather than wasting valuable time and lab space on a trial-and-error approach. In-operando electrochemical microcalorimetry is a powerful tool for investigating the efficiency of new cell chemistries, electrolyte formulations, and studying degradation rates in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods. The solution described here takes two methods and integrates them together in a turn-key approach that reduces downtime and maximizes productivity.

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