In situ observation of lithiation process in lithium ion nanobatteries
EMSL Project ID
46198
Abstract
Recently, massive effort has been made to promote the rapid development and commercialization of new energy storage technologies and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is one of the most promising technologies. The principal challenge for Li-based rechargeable batteries, or indeed for any battery, lies in gaining better understanding and control of the electrode-electrolyte interface in the hope of designing new solid-solid or solid-liquid interfaces. The proposed research is aimed at exactly that -- demonstrating a new powerful characterization tool that sheds new insight into electrochemical energy storage mechanisms. Looking in more detail at LIBs, it is the lithiation/delithiation-induced volume expansion/contraction, solid-state-amorphization in anodes. Direct visualization of the origin and evolution of the electrochemically-induced microstructural changes is thus of crucial importance, as it can provide scientific insights as to what is the root cause of these detrimental mechanical effects. The proposed research is to develop a new in-situ characterization tool that allows us to study electrochemical energy storage mechanisms. This understanding can, in turn, guide the technology to mitigate these detrimental mechanical effects and improve the performance of LIBs. PI propose the creation of a nanoscale electrochemical device inside a transmission electron microscope - consisting of a single nanowire anode ( SnO2 or Si), an ionic liquid electrolyte and a bulk LiCoO2 cathode - and the in-situ observation of the lithiation of the nanowire during electrochemical charging. Objectives of the proposed research are (A) development of in-situ testing technique to observe dynamic process in lithium-ion batteries with nanowire electrodes; (B) observation and understanding Li-induced phase transformation, deformation and fracture as well as lithiation rate in the nanowiress during Li charging and discharging under TEM; (C) measurement on lithiation rate in terms of phase transformation mechanisms for a) SnO2 and Si nanowires; b) carbon coated SnO2 and Si nanowires in order to develop nanowire electrodes with high storage density and electrochemical charging rate. The in-situ observations will provide important mechanistic insight for the design of advanced batteries for energy storage.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2011-10-26
End Date
2012-10-28
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
He Y, DM Piper, M Gu, JJ Travis, SM George, SH Lee, A Genc, L Pullan, J Liu, SX Mao, J Zhang, C Ban, and CM Wang. 2014. "In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Probing of Native Oxide and Artificial Layers on Silicon Nanoparticles for Lithium Ion Batteries." ACS Nano 8(11):11816-11823. doi:10.1021/nn505523c