Gas evolution from cathode materials: A pathway to solvent decomposition concomitant to SEI formation.

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2013 · Journal of Power Sources

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.03.118· OSTI ID:1076904

Browning, Katie L ^[1]; Baggetto, Loic ^[1]; Unocic, Raymond R ^[1]; Dudney, Nancy J ^[1]; Veith, Gabriel M ^[1]

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1. ORNL

This work reports a method to explore the catalytic reactivity of electrode surfaces towards the decomposition of carbonate solvents [ethylene carbonate (EC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and EC/DMC]. We show that the decomposition of a 1:1 wt% EC/DMC mixture is accelerated over certain commercially available LiCoO2 materials resulting in the formation of CO2 while over pure EC or DMC the reaction is much slower or negligible. The solubility of the produced CO2 in carbonate solvents is high (0.025 grams/mL) which masks the effect of electrolyte decomposition during storage or use. The origin of this decomposition is not clear but it is expected to be present on other cathode materials and may affect the analysis of SEI products as well as the safety of Li-ion batteries.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1076904
• Journal Information: Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 239; ISSN 0378-7753
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Battery safety
Li-ion battery
gas evolution