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Title: Operando liquid cell electron microscopy of discharge and charge kinetics in lithium-oxygen batteries

Abstract

Despite the promising future of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) battery in replacing conventional lithium ion battery for high-energy applications, the complicated reaction mechanisms determining the sluggish discharge-charge kinetics have not been fully understood. Here, utilizing in situ liquid transmission electron microscopy, the (electro) chemical fundamentals in a working Li-O2 battery is explored. During discharge, the nucleation of Li2O2 is observed at the carbon electrode/electrolyte interface, and the following growth process exhibits Li+ diffusion-limited kinetics. Nucleation and growth of Li2O2 are also observed within the electrolyte, where there is no direct contact with the carbon electrode indicating the existence of non-Faradaic disproportionation reaction of intermediate LiO2 into Li2O2. The growth of Li2O2 isolated in the electrolyte exhibits O2- diffusion-limited kinetics. Li2O2 at the carbon electrode surface and isolated in the electrolyte are both active upon charging and gradually decomposed. For Li2O2 particles rooted at the carbon electrode surface, the decomposition starts at the electrode/Li2O2 interface indicating electron-conduction limited charge kinetics. For Li2O2 isolated within the electrolyte, surprisingly, a side-to-side decomposition mode is identified indicating the non-Faradaic formation of dissolvable O2-, whose diffusion in the electrolyte controls the overall charge kinetics. In conclusion, this work reveals further details of underlying mechanisms in a workingmore » Li-O2 battery and identifies various limiting factors controlling the discharge and charge processes.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  3. Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  4. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Univ. (IAU), Dammam (Saudi Arabia); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V); USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1461336
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1496465
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357; 4J-30361
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nano Energy
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 49; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 2211-2855
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
25 ENERGY STORAGE; charge kinetics; in situ TEM; liquid cell; lithium-oxygen battery; mechanisms

Citation Formats

He, Kun, Bi, Xuanxuan, Yuan, Yifei, Foroozan, Tara, Song, Boao, Amine, Khalil, Lu, Jun, and Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza. Operando liquid cell electron microscopy of discharge and charge kinetics in lithium-oxygen batteries. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.04.046.
He, Kun, Bi, Xuanxuan, Yuan, Yifei, Foroozan, Tara, Song, Boao, Amine, Khalil, Lu, Jun, & Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza. Operando liquid cell electron microscopy of discharge and charge kinetics in lithium-oxygen batteries. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.04.046
He, Kun, Bi, Xuanxuan, Yuan, Yifei, Foroozan, Tara, Song, Boao, Amine, Khalil, Lu, Jun, and Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza. Wed . "Operando liquid cell electron microscopy of discharge and charge kinetics in lithium-oxygen batteries". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.04.046. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1461336.
@article{osti_1461336,
title = {Operando liquid cell electron microscopy of discharge and charge kinetics in lithium-oxygen batteries},
author = {He, Kun and Bi, Xuanxuan and Yuan, Yifei and Foroozan, Tara and Song, Boao and Amine, Khalil and Lu, Jun and Shahbazian-Yassar, Reza},
abstractNote = {Despite the promising future of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) battery in replacing conventional lithium ion battery for high-energy applications, the complicated reaction mechanisms determining the sluggish discharge-charge kinetics have not been fully understood. Here, utilizing in situ liquid transmission electron microscopy, the (electro) chemical fundamentals in a working Li-O2 battery is explored. During discharge, the nucleation of Li2O2 is observed at the carbon electrode/electrolyte interface, and the following growth process exhibits Li+ diffusion-limited kinetics. Nucleation and growth of Li2O2 are also observed within the electrolyte, where there is no direct contact with the carbon electrode indicating the existence of non-Faradaic disproportionation reaction of intermediate LiO2 into Li2O2. The growth of Li2O2 isolated in the electrolyte exhibits O2- diffusion-limited kinetics. Li2O2 at the carbon electrode surface and isolated in the electrolyte are both active upon charging and gradually decomposed. For Li2O2 particles rooted at the carbon electrode surface, the decomposition starts at the electrode/Li2O2 interface indicating electron-conduction limited charge kinetics. For Li2O2 isolated within the electrolyte, surprisingly, a side-to-side decomposition mode is identified indicating the non-Faradaic formation of dissolvable O2-, whose diffusion in the electrolyte controls the overall charge kinetics. In conclusion, this work reveals further details of underlying mechanisms in a working Li-O2 battery and identifies various limiting factors controlling the discharge and charge processes.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.04.046},
journal = {Nano Energy},
number = C,
volume = 49,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 25 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Apr 25 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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