How do you translate a battery dQ/dV plot so its peaks, voltage positions and capacity information remain correct? Differential capacity analysis, commonly called incremental capacity analysis or ICA, transforms charge–discharge data into a curve that shows how much capacity changes for a small change in voltage. A plot of dQ/dV against V can reveal features hidden in a more familiar voltage-versus-capacity graph, but only when units, calculation steps and charge–discharge conventions are read carefully.
People searching for how to read dQ/dV curves often ask what a peak means, why a peak moves after ageing, why a curve contains noise, or whether dQ/dV is the same as cyclic voltammetry. The first task in technical translation is to identify what the experiment measured and what mathematics was applied. A peak in an incremental capacity curve is not an image of an electrode and is not automatically proof of lithium plating or a precise degradation mechanism.
This guide explains how to translate differential capacity plots for educational notes, multilingual laboratory reports, scientific captions and accessibility text. It starts with the ordinary battery curve, follows the derivative to its physical interpretation, and works through filtering, comparisons, uncertainty and language choices. The goal is to preserve what a reader can verify from the data without inventing a material mechanism the experiment did not isolate.
The short answer: read the axes before interpreting peaks
A correct dQ/dV translation states the voltage range on the horizontal axis, the differential capacity units on the vertical axis, the charge or discharge direction, and the conditions used to collect and process the data. It should distinguish visible peak position, width, area and height from hypotheses about phase changes or cell ageing. The phrase capacity per unit voltage is often a useful plain-language starting point, but its exact derivative and sign conventions must follow the source.
Begin with voltage versus capacity
A conventional battery test may measure voltage while charge passes through the cell, then express the accumulated charge as capacity. A flat or gently sloping voltage region can correspond to a substantial change in capacity, even when the voltage value hardly moves.
Incremental capacity analysis reexpresses the same relationship to highlight where capacity is concentrated along the voltage axis. Translate the transformation as a mathematical view of existing cycling data, not as an entirely separate experiment that necessarily uses another instrument.
To confirm the meaning, locate the source voltage–capacity curve and ask which stretches have shallow voltage slopes. They may correspond to pronounced features after differentiation, provided the data and numerical treatment support that interpretation.
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What dQ/dV means dimensionally
The symbol Q denotes electric charge capacity in the chosen convention and V denotes voltage. The derivative dQ/dV describes how the capacity changes per small voltage increment along a defined branch of the experiment. It is not simply the division of total capacity by terminal voltage.
Translate the relationship as a local rate of capacity change with voltage rather than a universal quotient. In technical writing, retain the derivative symbol and include one intelligible explanation for readers unfamiliar with calculus.
A trustworthy worked caption might say that the curve shows incremental ampere-hours per volt across the recorded voltage window. Check that this remains true when the plot uses charge normalised by mass rather than whole-cell capacity.
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Units reveal the quantity being plotted
Common dQ/dV units include Ah/V, mAh/V or, for mass-normalised electrodes, mAh g⁻¹ V⁻¹. These choices change the numerical values but not the fundamental concept. Reading mAh/V as mA/V mistakes capacity for electric current.
Preserve ampere-hour terminology distinctly from amperes, including the letter h. A multilingual glossary should translate ampere-hour as an energy-storage charge unit without calling it watt-hour, which instead represents energy.
Proofread every slash, superscript and mass denominator. If the caption uses mAh g⁻¹ V⁻¹, the plotted value cannot be compared directly with an unnormalised Ah/V curve without additional information.
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The horizontal axis is usually voltage
Incremental capacity curves frequently use cell voltage or electrode potential along the horizontal axis. A voltage axis should not be described as elapsed time, cycle count or SOC merely because those values appear elsewhere in the study.
Keep the electrode configuration and any reference potential if supplied. A full-cell voltage peak generally reflects the combined response of positive and negative electrodes, while a half-cell measurement may provide different interpretive leverage.
A reader should know where 3.5 V sits on the curve and whether that potential is a cell terminal value or an electrode reading. If the source does not specify, limit the claim rather than making assumptions.
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Differential capacity is not cyclic voltammetry
A dQ/dV curve is commonly calculated from charge–discharge data, often gathered under controlled current. A cyclic voltammogram ordinarily displays current against swept potential, potentially with scan-rate-dependent redox peaks.
Do not translate dQ/dV and cyclic voltammetry as one technique simply because both show peaks versus voltage. Their y-axis units, control modes and interpretations differ. An article comparing them must explain what is actually measured and transformed.
The decisive check is the ordinate: Ah/V suggests incremental capacity, whereas current in A or current density in A/g signals a different quantity. Validate the protocol before assigning the graph to a method.
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The difference from dV/dQ also matters
Differential voltage analysis uses the derivative dV/dQ and often plots it against capacity or a related variable. It is linked mathematically to incremental capacity where derivatives are well defined, but its representation, peaks and behaviour near flat regions differ.
Keep dQ/dV and dV/dQ in the correct order. Translators sometimes transpose the fraction while keeping the same explanation; that changes the dependent and independent variables and can reverse the visual prominence of features.
A basic exercise asks learners to read each numerator and denominator aloud. If two captions both say capacity per volt, one of them has probably lost the distinction.
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A peak often arises from a voltage plateau
If voltage changes very little while capacity increases noticeably, dQ/dV can become large. Under suitable conditions such features may correspond to electrode phase transitions or staging processes. The connection is informative but not a unique structural diagnosis.
Translate a peak as a local feature in incremental capacity first. Then attribute any mechanistic label to the authors’ evidence and electrode chemistry. Do not claim that every peak represents a new crystalline phase in every cell.
For verification, examine the raw voltage profile. Ask whether it contains a region that could produce the peak and whether the derivative was calculated under comparable current and temperature conditions.
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Peak voltage and peak height are different facts
The peak’s horizontal position gives a voltage value; its vertical height describes the magnitude of differential capacity at that point. A very high narrow peak and a lower broad feature can have distinct shapes even if their total related capacity is similar.
Use separate terms for peak voltage, maximum differential capacity and peak width. Avoid saying a peak became higher in voltage when the graph shows only an increase in y-value at a constant x-position.
A bilingual reviewer should reconstruct which direction the peak moved. This simple task catches many errors arising from casual phrases such as rises, shifts up and shifts to higher voltage.
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The area under a feature needs its axis
Integrating dQ/dV over a voltage interval gives a change in capacity for that interval, subject to the curve’s sign and processing convention. Therefore the area under a properly defined feature can contain more capacity information than its maximum height alone.
Do not translate peak area as an energy quantity unless the source applies the voltage weighting needed to calculate energy. Likewise, area in an arbitrary plot image cannot substitute for an integral using calibrated axes.
Describe any reported area with its interval, baseline and branch. A peak area may change if the integration boundaries or smoothing method changes, so those choices should be documented in a reproducible explanation.
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Charge and discharge branches may differ
A battery’s charging and discharging voltage trajectories can display hysteresis and polarization. As a result, corresponding incremental capacity peaks may appear at different potentials. They should not be treated as independent material identities simply because their positions differ.
Label every curve as charge or discharge, retaining the author’s current and sign conventions. If both traces appear together, describe the colour or line style as secondary identification and write the branch name in text.
A valid caption should let readers identify the charge feature and its discharge counterpart without guessing from the curve’s colour. For analysis, align protocols before comparing peak shifts.
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Positive and negative derivative conventions vary
Some authors display discharge differential capacity as an absolute value, others retain a signed derivative depending on how capacity and voltage are ordered. A downward feature may therefore reflect a convention rather than a negative physical capacity.
Translate sign definitions explicitly. Do not change an observed negative dQ/dV signal into positive values unless the source states that absolute magnitudes are plotted. The mathematical definition and direction of traversal matter.
A verification pass checks the axis sign and whether capacity increases or decreases along the recorded branch. This avoids inventing a chemical reversal from a plotting decision.
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Peaks shift when polarization changes
Higher current or increased internal resistance can alter the voltage measured at a given state, moving apparent peak positions. A leftward or rightward shift is therefore not a unique signature of lost lithium or a particular aging pathway.
Translate the observation first: a peak appears at lower or higher measured voltage under specified conditions. Describe a proposed mechanism as an interpretation supported by additional evidence, not as a direct reading of the x-coordinate.
A responsible comparison retains the C-rate, temperature and state window. If these changed, a peak shift cannot be assigned confidently to ageing alone.
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Peak height is sensitive to smoothing
Differentiation amplifies measurement noise, and many analyses use filtering or binning. A filter can alter the sharpness and height of peaks, while an overly broad smoothing window can merge physically distinct features.
Record whether curves are raw, binned, interpolated, filtered or smoothed. Translating a processed maximum as though it were a direct instrument reading hides the choices that generated its value.
A reproducibility note should identify the smoothing approach if available. When authors used different filters, avoid ranking electrode performance solely from peak heights.
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Voltage binning can make curves readable
One practical approach groups capacity increments into voltage bins. Bin width influences resolution and noise: narrow bins may retain detail but amplify variability, while wide bins can smooth small features away.
Translate bin width with its voltage units and clarify whether the result is a numerical derivative or a discretised approximation. These implementation details matter when one figure is compared with another.
Ask whether the reported small shoulder would survive a different reasonable bin width. If not, the translation should avoid presenting that shoulder as a robust material discovery.
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Finite differences approximate the derivative
Recorded battery data consist of discrete time, current and voltage samples. Numerical differentiation estimates dQ/dV from nearby values, and the result depends on measurement spacing and how duplicate or nearly equal voltage points are treated.
Avoid implying that the derivative is an infinitely precise measured signal. Use calculated or estimated differential capacity in explanatory text, especially when noise handling is central to the study.
Technical review should identify the sampling and differentiation method when interpreting very narrow peaks. A visually clean output does not prove that the underlying data have unlimited resolution.
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Constant current is often useful for interpretation
Many incremental capacity studies rely on low-rate, controlled-current charging or discharging to limit dynamic distortion. Higher current introduces additional polarization and makes comparisons more protocol-sensitive.
Translate controlled current and constant current distinctly from constant voltage. If the protocol has a final constant-voltage hold, identify whether that segment was included or excluded from derivative calculations.
The best caption says what parts of the charge–discharge record generated the displayed curve. Without that detail, a reader cannot reconstruct the analysis faithfully.
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Temperature changes peak appearance
Battery equilibrium properties, reaction kinetics and resistance are temperature dependent. A dQ/dV plot recorded cold can differ noticeably from one recorded warm, even before permanent ageing is considered.
Keep the experimental temperature in the caption when the source provides it. Do not say that a peak moved because of ageing if the comparison silently changes the temperature at which it was collected.
A controlled comparison should hold temperature and current as nearly constant as practical. Where it cannot, translate the observation with its conditions rather than assigning a single cause.
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Voltage-window selection limits what is seen
A differential capacity graph displays features only across the measured range. If one dataset stops at a lower cut-off voltage or begins at a higher cut-off, some peaks may be truncated or absent.
Translate upper and lower voltage cutoffs faithfully and identify whether a feature sits near an endpoint. Calling an unseen peak destroyed when it simply falls outside the selected window is a serious interpretive error.
Ask whether both studies or cycles cover the same range before comparing peak counts. A missing feature must be distinguished from a feature not sampled by the protocol.
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Capacity basis changes magnitude
Whole-cell capacity, active-material specific capacity and capacity per electrode area are different normalisations. Changing mass, loading or reported cell configuration can change the y-axis even if the underlying electrochemical behaviour is similar.
Preserve labels such as mAh, mAh/g and mAh/cm² and their derivatives with respect to voltage. Do not remove the normalisation denominator when producing an accessible text description.
A quick audit asks what physical quantity is counted in the numerator and to what mass or area it is attributed. The comparison is not legitimate until those bases match.
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Full-cell peaks combine both electrodes
In a commercial full cell, the measured voltage is the difference between positive- and negative-electrode potentials. Features from both electrodes can overlap, shift or interact in dQ/dV plots.
Avoid assigning a full-cell peak to a single electrode phase unless the source supplies appropriate reference data or an accepted model. Phrase tentative attributions as consistent with, rather than uniquely caused by, a particular reaction.
The review test is to ask which half-cell or reference-electrode evidence is available. If none is supplied, translate peak descriptions at the cell level.
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Half-cell experiments require their own qualifiers
A half-cell measurement can clarify one electrode’s response relative to a reference or counter material, but test hardware, electrolyte, current and state range may differ from the final device.
Retain the half-cell designation and counter/reference material when supplied. Do not paste a half-cell peak assignment into a whole-cell figure as though the voltage values should be identical.
A dependable lesson compares the experiment types without conflating them: one is intended to isolate aspects of an electrode, while the other reflects the combined operation of a full cell.
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Ageing may change position, width or amplitude
Repeated cycling can produce shifts, broadening, shrinkage or emergence of features. The mathematical changes may relate to inventory loss, active-material loss, impedance growth or complex combinations of degradation processes.
Translate the feature that actually changed before naming any cause. When a paper reports a peak becoming broader, do not rewrite it as smaller; broadness and height are different descriptors with different diagnostic implications.
A credible ageing paragraph should include cycle count, test temperature, current, cutoffs and any reference baseline. Without matched measurement conditions, apparent changes are not uniquely attributable to ageing.
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Loss of lithium inventory is not directly visible
Loss of cyclable lithium is a modelled degradation mode associated with shifts in electrode utilisation, but a single full-cell peak cannot always isolate it from other effects. Mechanism fitting often needs electrode reference profiles and independent validation.
Use authors’ conditional language, such as indicative of or consistent with loss of lithium inventory. Avoid asserting that an isolated peak shift proves a precise lithium quantity or one failure pathway.
A technical reviewer should identify which measurements separate the proposed mechanism from increased resistance or changed active material. If that separation is missing, preserve uncertainty.
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Active-material loss needs a model or comparison
Changes in accessible electrode capacity may alter incremental capacity features, but multiple mechanisms can produce similar plots. The fraction of active material lost is not ordinarily printed directly on a peak.
Translate active-material loss as an inferred degradation mechanism rather than a measured y-axis. Report the model and baseline used if the study quantifies this process.
Ask whether the analysis was calibrated against half-cell data, reference performance or a validated model. Without that context, describe the plotted feature rather than inventing a percentage.
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Do not diagnose lithium plating from one peak
Lithium plating can alter electrochemical behaviour and may have signatures in differential analysis, but apparent extra peaks can also arise from relaxation, temperature differences, side reactions and processing artefacts.
A public guide should not promise reliable plating detection from one dQ/dV screenshot. The target text should say that suspected plating requires appropriate corroborating evidence and context.
Translate any source phrase such as possible plating or plating-related feature without dropping the qualifier. This avoids turning a research hypothesis into a field-safety decision.
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Peak alignment is a defined operation
Researchers sometimes align curves using a common feature, capacity offset or voltage reference to compare ageing progression. Such alignment is a transformation and may shift apparent locations relative to the original instrument measurements.
State whether data were aligned or normalised before comparing peak positions. Never describe a post-alignment value as an untreated measured voltage if the source made a correction.
An editorial check can compare the figure methods with the caption. A translated claim about absolute voltage must use unaltered or explicitly corrected coordinates, not silently processed ones.
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Baseline and background affect minor shoulders
Small shoulders and low-intensity features may appear or disappear depending on the data baseline and numerical treatment. It is easy to overinterpret a tiny fluctuation, especially when the curve is plotted at high magnification.
Preserve words such as shoulder, feature, noise and tentative assignment rather than upgrading them to peaks of confirmed chemical origin. A cautious description is not weak writing; it is accurate reporting.
Ask whether the feature repeats across replicates or alternative processing choices. If not, avoid turning it into a definite mechanistic sentence in another language.
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Peak splitting needs careful context
A broad peak may appear to separate into two local maxima across cycling or temperature changes. This can indicate distinct contributions, but may also reflect improved resolution, smoothing decisions or an altered operating window.
Describe the visual observation precisely: one broad feature becomes two resolved maxima under the stated analysis. Then attribute a mechanism only if supported by the source or validated model.
When teaching, distinguish split peaks from two peaks that were already present but hidden by coarse voltage bins. A faithful translation keeps that analytical distinction.
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Cycle number is not the plot’s horizontal axis
An article may show dQ/dV curves for the first, hundredth and thousandth cycle on one voltage axis. The legend identifies cycle numbers, but the shared horizontal coordinate remains voltage rather than chronological cycling.
Translate the legend and axis separately. A sentence saying the peak moves right after many cycles refers to voltage, not to a later point in calendar time. Keep this coordinate distinction explicit.
A quick test asks learners to identify what each curve represents and what moving horizontally means. If the answers mix cycle count with volts, improve the explanatory caption.
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A legend should state processing and branch
Coloured lines may represent different temperatures, health states, current rates or charge/discharge directions. A colour label without a descriptive legend loses essential experimental context, particularly for accessibility.
Restate the legend in prose, naming each compared condition. If the chart uses dashed or solid lines to distinguish branches, retain that coding and ensure the text does not depend on colour recognition alone.
Readers should be able to reconstruct the comparison from the caption without seeing the colours. That is a strong test of both translation and accessible educational writing.
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Avoid false precision in peak coordinates
A graph’s visual resolution, voltage sampling and smoothing determine how precisely a peak location can be known. Reading a tiny peak at 3.72 V from a coarse figure does not justify reporting 3.72000 V.
Keep the source’s significant figures or clearly label estimated readings. Do not fabricate uncertainty intervals or extra digits. For comparisons, a quantified peak shift should refer to reported analysis, not eyeballing a thumbnail.
Technical verification includes checking the numeric source table or methods where available. If unavailable, prefer approximately or near the stated voltage.
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Accessible text should explain the derivative
Alternative text can describe a differential capacity curve as capacity change per volt against voltage, name the major peaks and identify the conditions being compared. It need not reproduce each plotted pixel.
Do not call the chart a waveform of battery energy or an image of the electrode. A screen-reader user needs to understand the derivative meaning, trace identities, peak positions and uncertainty.
A detailed prose caption can be more useful than a short generic alt label when the main educational purpose is to interpret data. Preserve units and processing qualifiers.
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Cross-language terms must track mathematical roles
Derivative, capacity, voltage, peak, shoulder, plateau, hysteresis, normalisation, binning, smoothing, ageing and state of health are different concepts. Near-synonyms in everyday language can collapse distinctions that matter to readers.
Keep a glossary linking each term to its mathematical or experimental role and a verified example sentence. Retain dQ/dV as the recognised symbol even when the method has a translated full name.
Ask bilingual readers to explain why dQ/dV is not dV/dQ and why a peak’s height is not its voltage position. If the glossary supports those distinctions, the translation is more likely to transfer meaning.
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Claims should match the strength of evidence
Incremental capacity analysis is valuable because it reveals structured information in familiar battery test data. It does not alone prove every microscopic cause of ageing. Strong claims need controlled comparisons, compatible baselines and corroboration.
Translate observation and interpretation separately. Say a peak shifted under specified conditions before saying that a model associates the shift with a proposed degradation mode. Preserve uncertainty and test limits in the final text.
A reader should be able to trace each conclusion back to the plotted curve, processing method or independent study. This evidence chain is the most important quality check in public-facing technical education.
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Worked example: when a voltage plateau becomes a peak
Imagine a constant-current battery discharge plot in which voltage changes gently while a sizeable fraction of capacity is delivered. When those measurements are transformed to dQ/dV, the flat region may appear as a pronounced differential-capacity feature. Its x-coordinate names a voltage. Its y-coordinate measures capacity change per volt, possibly normalised to cell mass or electrode active material. The observation says nothing by itself about how much electrical energy was delivered in that interval because energy involves voltage weighting. It also does not reveal which microscopic reaction occurred unless material-specific evidence exists. A careful translation makes these relationships explicit.
Now suppose the same cell is retested after prolonged cycling. The new plot displays a wider, lower peak located at a somewhat different voltage. A misleading summary would declare that one electrode has lost a precise percentage of active material. A defensible summary states that the processed incremental capacity feature changed in width, amplitude and position under the reported ageing protocol. It then names the authors’ proposed explanation and the independent data, if any, supporting it. If the older and newer curves used different temperatures or filters, the text should say so rather than pretending the difference is exclusively electrochemical degradation.
An editor’s verification route for dQ/dV
Copy the title of the method and state that incremental capacity is calculated from cycling data. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Preserve the numerator and denominator in dQ/dV and never interchange them with dV/dQ. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Read the units, including any mass or area normalisation. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Identify whether voltage represents a full cell or an electrode potential. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Label charge and discharge curves and any sign convention. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Record current rate, temperature, voltage cutoffs and other test conditions. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Distinguish peak location from height, width and integrated area. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Check how the derivative was computed from discrete samples. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Record voltage-bin width, smoothing and baseline decisions when reported. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Compare only curves collected or processed under compatible conditions. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
State ageing features as observations before assigning mechanisms. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Write a text alternative explaining axes, prominent features and limits. It is worth checking this against the original figure and methods together. An attractive rewritten caption is not faithful if it quietly changes the measured or calculated quantity.
Frequently asked questions about dQ/dV translation
Is dQ/dV the same as battery capacity?
No. Capacity is an accumulated amount of charge, often in Ah or mAh. Differential capacity describes how rapidly that accumulated capacity changes with voltage along a particular branch. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
Why are there peaks in dQ/dV?
Peaks can emerge from voltage plateaus or structured voltage–capacity behaviour. Specific assignments depend on materials, cell configuration, test conditions and supporting analysis. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
Is a taller peak proof of a healthier battery?
No. Peak height depends on processing and can vary with rate, temperature and curve width. Health assessment requires matched conditions and a broader interpretation of capacity, resistance and degradation. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
What is the difference between ICA and DVA?
Incremental capacity analysis commonly uses dQ/dV, while differential voltage analysis uses dV/dQ. They transform the cycling relation in different directions and are not interchangeable labels. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
How does dQ/dV differ from cyclic voltammetry?
Incremental capacity usually comes from charge–discharge data after mathematical processing. Cyclic voltammetry measures current in response to a programmed potential sweep. Their peak meanings and units differ. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
Can a peak reveal lithium plating?
Some features may be consistent with particular side reactions, but a single peak is generally insufficient for a definitive plating diagnosis. Corroboration and careful protocol control are important. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
Why is the curve noisy?
Numerical differentiation can amplify voltage measurement noise and sampling irregularities. Smoothing and voltage binning can help, but also change the feature shape. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
What should a translator preserve first?
Preserve the graph’s axes, derivative definition, units, charge/discharge direction, test conditions, processing details and uncertainty before choosing the most elegant target-language wording. A teaching caption should tell readers which statement is directly visible in the processed plot and which depends on additional scientific evidence.
Continue the learning route
Start with eduKateSG’s battery charge–discharge graph guide to understand the original voltage–capacity relationship. The cyclic voltammogram guide helps distinguish derivative plots from electrode current scans; the calibration curve tutorial reinforces careful reading of axes, units and processed data.
For readers building cross-linguistic scientific vocabulary, the UV–visible spectra article gives another example of the difference between a measured signal and its interpretation. The GITT guide extends the battery learning route into pulse–relaxation experiments and model-derived transport estimates.
Methodology references include best practices for incremental capacity analysis and a review of how incremental capacity curves are generated. They show why processing, rate and feature interpretation must remain visible in a reliable educational explanation.
The concluding principle
Differential capacity analysis is powerful precisely because it makes changes in an ordinary voltage–capacity curve easier to see. To translate it correctly, preserve the derivative, units, branch, experimental conditions and numerical choices. Then describe the peak that actually appears before discussing what it might mean chemically. Readers can learn a great deal from a dQ/dV plot without pretending that one line of data proves every cause of battery ageing. Faithful technical language keeps that distinction clear.