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Title: Fluoroethylene Carbonate Induces Ordered Electrolyte Interface on Silicon and Sapphire Surfaces as Revealed by Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy and X-ray Reflectivity

Journal Article · · Nano Letters
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)
  4. Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)

Here, the cyclability of silicon anodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is affected by the reduction of the electrolyte on the anode surface to produce a coating layer termed the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). One of the key steps for a major improvement of LIBs is unraveling the SEI’s structure-related diffusion properties as charge and discharge rates of LIBs are diffusion-limited. To this end, we have combined two surface sensitive techniques, sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, and X-ray reflectivity (XRR), to explore the first monolayer and to probe the first several layers of electrolyte, respectively, for solutions consisting of 1 M lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) salt dissolved in ethylene carbonate (EC) or fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and their mixtures (EC/FEC 7:3 and 1:1 wt %) on silicon and sapphire surfaces. Our results suggest that the addition of FEC to EC solution causes the first monolayer to rearrange itself more perpendicular to the anode surface, while subsequent layers are less affected and tend to maintain their, on average, surface-parallel arrangements. This fundamental understanding of the near-surface orientation of the electrolyte molecules can aid operational strategies for designing high-performance LIBs.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH1123; AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1457398
Journal Information:
Nano Letters, Vol. 18, Issue 3; ISSN 1530-6984
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 38 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (9)

The Impact of Initial SEI Formation Conditions on Strain‐Induced Capacity Losses in Silicon Electrodes journal December 2018
Forming a Stable CEI Layer on LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 Cathode by the Synergy Effect of FEC and HDI journal January 2018
Fluorine and Lithium: Ideal Partners for High‐Performance Rechargeable Battery Electrolytes journal November 2019
Electrochemical Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural on Nickel Nitride/Carbon Nanosheets: Reaction Pathway Determined by In Situ Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy journal September 2019
Dimethylacrylamide, a novel electrolyte additive, can improve the electrochemical performances of silicon anodes in lithium-ion batteries journal January 2019
Fluor und Lithium: Ideale Partner für Elektrolyte in wiederaufladbaren Hochleistungsbatterien journal July 2019
Fluoroethylene carbonate as an electrolyte additive for improving interfacial stability of high-voltage LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 cathode journal July 2018
Electrochemical Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural on Nickel Nitride/Carbon Nanosheets: Reaction Pathway Determined by In Situ Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy journal October 2019
Microscopic Elucidation of Solid‐Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) Film Formation via Atomistic Reaction Simulations: Importance of Functional Groups of Electrolyte and Intact Additive Molecules journal November 2018