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Title: In Situ STEM-EELS Observation of Nanoscale Interfacial Phenomena in All-Solid-State Batteries

Journal Article · · Nano Letters
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Dept. of NanoEngineering
  2. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Dept. of NanoEngineering; Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Univ., Kochi (India). Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine
  3. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  4. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Materials Science & Technology Division

Behaviors of functional interfaces are crucial factors in the performance and safety of energy storage and conversion devices. Indeed, solid electrode–solid electrolyte interfacial impedance is now considered the main limiting factor in all-solid-state batteries rather than low ionic conductivity of the solid electrolyte. In this paper, we present a new approach to conducting in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) coupled with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in order to uncover the unique interfacial phenomena related to lithium ion transport and its corresponding charge transfer. Our approach allowed quantitative spectroscopic characterization of a galvanostatically biased electrochemical system under in situ conditions. Using a LiCoO2/LiPON/Si thin film battery, an unexpected structurally disordered interfacial layer between LiCoO2 cathode and LiPON electrolyte was discovered to be inherent to this interface without cycling. During in situ charging, spectroscopic characterization revealed that this interfacial layer evolved to form highly oxidized Co ions species along with lithium oxide and lithium peroxide species. These findings suggest that the mechanism of interfacial impedance at the LiCoO2/LiPON interface is caused by chemical changes rather than space charge effects. Finally, insights gained from this technique will shed light on important challenges of interfaces in all-solid-state energy storage and conversion systems and facilitate improved engineering of devices operated far from equilibrium.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India; Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) (India)
Contributing Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Univ., Kochi (India)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; SC0002357; SC0001294; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1362191
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1257962; OSTI ID: 1595355
Report Number(s):
BNL-112300-2016-JA; KC0203020; ERKCZ06
Journal Information:
Nano Letters, Vol. 16, Issue 6; ISSN 1530-6984
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 83 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (36)

Structural and Electrochemical Characterization of Thin Film Li 2 MoO 3 Electrodes journal January 2019
Designing Safe Electrolyte Systems for a High-Stability Lithium-Sulfur Battery journal January 2018
Review—Promises and Challenges of In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Electrochemical Techniques in the Studies of Lithium Ion Batteries journal January 2017
Reducing the Interfacial Resistance in All‐Solid‐State Lithium Batteries Based on Oxide Ceramic Electrolytes journal April 2019
Understanding materials challenges for rechargeable ion batteries with in situ transmission electron microscopy journal August 2017
Electro–Chemo–Mechanical Issues at the Interfaces in Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries journal April 2019
In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electrochemical Reaction Mechanisms in Rechargeable Batteries journal June 2019
Understanding interface stability in solid-state batteries journal December 2019
Material structure, properties, and dynamics through scanning transmission electron microscopy journal April 2018
In Situ Direct Lithium Distribution Analysis Around Interfaces in an All‐Solid‐State Rechargeable Lithium Battery by Combined Ion‐Beam Method journal April 2019
Designing solid-state electrolytes for safe, energy-dense batteries journal February 2020
Self-Standing 3D Cathodes for All-Solid-State Thin Film Lithium Batteries with Improved Interface Kinetics journal November 2018
Electrochemical and Structural Analysis in All‐Solid‐State Lithium Batteries by Analytical Electron Microscopy: Progress and Perspectives journal October 2019
Three-dimensional atomic-scale observation of structural evolution of cathode material in a working all-solid-state battery journal August 2018
Interphases, Interfaces, and Surfaces of Active Materials in Rechargeable Batteries and Perovskite Solar Cells journal January 2020
Interfacial Incompatibility and Internal Stresses in All‐Solid‐State Lithium Ion Batteries journal August 2019
Tuning the interlayer of transition metal oxides for electrochemical energy storage journal October 2016
In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Energy Materials and Devices journal June 2019
Review of Recent Development of In Situ/Operando Characterization Techniques for Lithium Battery Research journal May 2019
Origin of Degradation in Si-Based All-Solid-State Li-Ion Microbatteries journal September 2018
Mechanistic understanding and strategies to design interfaces of solid electrolytes: insights gained from transmission electron microscopy journal May 2019
Direct observation of leakage currents in a metal–insulator–metal capacitor using in situ transmission electron microscopy journal August 2018
Ni‐Rich Layered Cathode Materials with Electrochemo‐Mechanically Compliant Microstructures for All‐Solid‐State Li Batteries journal December 2019
Kinetics‐Controlled Degradation Reactions at Crystalline LiPON/Li x CoO 2 and Crystalline LiPON/Li‐Metal Interfaces journal March 2018
Reviving lithium cobalt oxide-based lithium secondary batteries-toward a higher energy density journal January 2018
The influence of stress field on Li electrodeposition in Li-metal battery journal July 2018
Anomalous metal segregation in lithium-rich material provides design rules for stable cathode in lithium-ion battery journal April 2019
Interfaces Between Cathode and Electrolyte in Solid State Lithium Batteries: Challenges and Perspectives journal December 2018
Atomic-Scale Direct Identification of Surface Variations in Cathode Oxides for Aqueous and Nonaqueous Lithium-Ion Batteries journal January 2019
Understanding the role of aluminium in determining the surface structure and electrochemical performance of layered cathodes journal January 2019
Insights into a layered hybrid solid electrolyte and its application in long lifespan high-voltage all-solid-state lithium batteries text January 2019
First-principles study of Li-ion distribution at γ Li 3 PO 4 /metal interfaces journal January 2020
Recent progress for all solid state battery using sulfide and oxide solid electrolytes journal January 2019
Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy for Electrode and Solid-Electrolyte Materials in Lithium-Ion Batteries journal June 2018
Kinetics-Controlled Degradation Reactions at Crystalline LiPON/Li(x)CoO(2) and Crystalline LiPON/Li-metal Interfaces text January 2018
Materials Structure, Properties and Dynamics through Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy text January 2019

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