Combining isotopic measurements using in situ Liquid SIMS and in situ TEM to determine the mechanism and kinetics of Li ion mobility in SEI layers
EMSL Project ID
49188
Abstract
Li ion batteries are now indispensably used as energy storage devices for portable electronics, electric vehicles, and are starting to enter the market of the renewable energies. The rechargeable capacity and the battery life depend critically on the structural stability of the electrodes themselves, the electrolyte degradation rate, and the electrode-electrolyte interaction layer - the solid electrolyte interface (SEI). Processes that occur at the SEI in batteries are critical to battery lifetime and performance, but their details remain elusive because of the difficulty of examining the interface during battery operation. Although electron microscopy and magnetic resonance approaches have provided new insights, isotopic and time-resolved measurements using our novel in situ secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in combination with in situ TEM offers the potential to provide unique information about mechanistic and dynamic processes. Finding answers to these critical questions will enable further advancement of rechargeable Li-ion battery design and performance. In this proposed research, we plan to use the unique capabilities developed in PNNL to examine the critical details of Li transport in the SEI layer. Isotopic measurements will resolve outstanding questions regarding how Li migrate through the SEI layer (diffusion or site exchange) under electric field, and provide a quantitative measure of its mobility. This proposed project has both scientific and capability development objectives. Isotopic studies are common in chemistry, but the ability to obtain isotopic information at a working “buried” electrochemical interface has not been previously possible. In addition, the approach developed in this project will be able to be extended to other advanced battery systems and other important solid-liquid interface areas including electrocatalysis and geochemistry.
Project Details
Start Date
2015-11-23
End Date
2016-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
Wang Z, Y Zhang, B Liu, K Wu, S Thevuthasan, DR Baer, Z Zhu, XY Yu, and F Wang. 2017. "In Situ Mass Spectrometric Monitoring Of The Dynamic Electrochemical Process At The Electrode-Electrolyte Interface: A SIMS Approach." Analytical Chemistry 89(1):960-965. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04189
Yu X, J Yu, Y Zhou, Y Zhang, J Wang, JE Evans, XY Yu, X Wang, and Z Zhu. 2017. "An Investigation of the Beam Damage Effect on In situ Liquid Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Analysis." Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 31(23):2035-2042. doi:10.1002/rcm.7983
Zhang Y, M Su, X Yu, Y Zhou, J Wang, R Cao, W Xu, C Wang, DR Baer, O Borodin, K Xu, Y Wang, XL Wang, Z Xu, F Wang, and Z Zhu. 2018. "Investigation of Ion-Solvent Interactions in Nonaqueous Electrolytes Using in Situ Liquid SIMS." Analytical Chemistry 90(5):3341-3348. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04921