Lithium dendrite growth mechanisms in polymer electrolytes and prevention strategies

Barai, Pallab; Higa, Kenneth; Srinivasan, Venkat

doi:10.1039/c7cp03304d

Title: Lithium dendrite growth mechanisms in polymer electrolytes and prevention strategies

Journal Article · Mon Jul 03 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. PCCP

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cp03304d· OSTI ID:1510742

^[1]; Higa, Kenneth ^[2]; Srinivasan, Venkat ^[1]

Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Future lithium-ion batteries must use lithium metal anodes to fulfill the demands of high energy density applications with the potential to enable affordable electric cars with 350-mile range. However, dendrite growth during charging prevents the commercialization of this technology. It has been demonstrated that the presence of a compressive mechanical stress field around a dendritic protrusion prevents growth. Several techniques based on this concept, such as protective layers, externally applied pressure and solid electrolytes have been investigated by other researchers. Because of the low coulombic efficiencies associated with the stiff protective layers and high-pressure conditions, implementation of these techniques in commercial cells is complicated. Polymer-based solid electrolytes demonstrate better efficiency and capacity retention capabilities. However, dendrite growth is still possible in polymer electrolytes at higher current densities. The simulations described in this article provide guidance on the conditions under which dendrite growth is possible in polymer cells and targets for material properties needed for dendrite prevention. Increasing the elastic modulus of the electrolyte prevents the growth of dendritic protrusions in two ways: (i) higher compressive mechanical stress leads to reduced exchange current density at the protrusion peak compared to the valley, and (ii) plastic deformation of lithium metal results in reduction of the height of the dendritic protrusion. A phase map is constructed, showing the range of operation (applied current) and design (electrolyte elastic modulus) parameters that corresponds to stable lithium deposition. It is found that increasing the yield strength of the polymer electrolyte plays a significant role in preventing dendrite growth in lithium metal anodes, providing a new avenue for further exploration.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) - Office of Vehicle Technologies (VTO) - Battery Materials Research (BMR) Program

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 1510742

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1671339

Journal Information:: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. PCCP, Vol. 19, Issue 31; ISSN 1463-9076

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 209 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (61)

Dendrite-free lithium metal anodes: stable solid electrolyte interphases for high-efficiency batteries Cheng, Xin-Bing; Zhang, Qiang Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 3, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1039/C5TA00689A	journal	January 2015
Direct Electrochemical Determination of Thermodynamic Factors in Aprotic Binary Electrolytes Landesfeind, Johannes; Ehrl, Andreas; Graf, Maximilian Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 163, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0651607jes	journal	January 2016
Lithium metal stripping/plating mechanisms studies: A metallurgical approach Gireaud, L.; Grugeon, S.; Laruelle, S. Electrochemistry Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 10, p. 1639-1649 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2006.07.037	journal	October 2006
Correlating Microstructural Lithium Metal Growth with Electrolyte Salt Depletion in Lithium Batteries Using ⁷ Li MRI Chang, Hee Jung; Ilott, Andrew J.; Trease, Nicole M. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 137, Issue 48 https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b09385	journal	November 2015
Ionic-Liquid-Nanoparticle Hybrid Electrolytes: Applications in Lithium Metal Batteries Lu, Yingying; Korf, Kevin; Kambe, Yu Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 53, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201307137	journal	November 2013
Observation of Lithium Dendrites at Ambient Temperature and Below Love, C. T.; Baturina, O. A.; Swider-Lyons, K. E. ECS Electrochemistry Letters, Vol. 4, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0041502eel	journal	December 2014
Salt Diffusion Coefficients in Block Copolymer Electrolytes Mullin, Scott A.; Stone, Gregory M.; Panday, Ashoutosh Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 158, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.3563802	journal	January 2011
LI material testing- fermilab antiproton source litihum collection lens Tariq, S.; Ammigan, K.; Hurh, P. Proceedings of the 2003 Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37440) https://doi.org/10.1109/PAC.2003.1288558	conference	January 2003
The Mechanism of the Dendritic Electrocrystallization of Zinc Diggle, J. W.; Despic, A. R.; Bockris, J. O'M. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 116, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2411588	journal	January 1969
Review of selected electrode–solution interactions which determine the performance of Li and Li ion batteries Aurbach, Doron Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 89, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7753(00)00431-6	journal	August 2000
Electrochemical aspects of the generation of ramified metallic electrodeposits Chazalviel, J. -N. Physical Review A, Vol. 42, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.42.7355	journal	December 1990
Quantitative phase-field modeling of dendritic electrodeposition Cogswell, Daniel A. Physical Review E, Vol. 92, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.92.011301	journal	July 2015
Nanoscale Imaging of Fundamental Li Battery Chemistry: Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation and Preferential Growth of Lithium Metal Nanoclusters Sacci, Robert L.; Black, Jennifer M.; Balke, Nina Nano Letters, Vol. 15, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/nl5048626	journal	February 2015
A simple composite protective layer coating that enhances the cycling stability of lithium metal batteries Lee, Hongkyung; Lee, Dong Jin; Kim, Yun-Jung Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 284 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.03.004	journal	June 2015
Electrical and mechanical properties of poly(ethylene oxide)/intercalated clay polymer electrolyte Moreno, Mabel; Quijada, Raúl; Santa Ana, María A. Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 58 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2011.08.096	journal	December 2011
Mathematical model of the dendritic growth during lithium electrodeposition Akolkar, Rohan Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 232 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.01.014	journal	June 2013
Heterogeneous Nucleation and Growth of Lithium Electrodeposits on Negative Electrodes Ely, David R.; García, R. Edwin Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 160, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.057304jes	journal	January 2013
The Impact of Elastic Deformation on Deposition Kinetics at Lithium/Polymer Interfaces Monroe, Charles; Newman, John Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 152, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1850854	journal	January 2005
Elastic properties of ceramic–metal particulate composites Hsieh, C. L.; Tuan, W. H. Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 393, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2004.10.009	journal	February 2005
Effect of Initial State of Lithium on the Propensity for Dendrite Formation: A Theoretical Study Barai, Pallab; Higa, Kenneth; Srinivasan, Venkat Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 164, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0661702jes	journal	December 2016
Lithium metal anodes for rechargeable batteries Xu, Wu; Wang, Jiulin; Ding, Fei Energy Environ. Sci., Vol. 7, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1039/C3EE40795K	journal	January 2014
Dendritic growth mechanisms in lithium/polymer cells Brissot, C.; Rosso, M.; Chazalviel, J. -N. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 81-82 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7753(98)00242-0	journal	September 1999
Transition of lithium growth mechanisms in liquid electrolytes Bai, Peng; Li, Ju; Brushett, Fikile R. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 9, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1039/C6EE01674J	journal	January 2016
Mechanics of Solid Materials Lemaitre, Jean; Chaboche, Jean-Louis https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139167970	book	January 1990
The Effect of Interfacial Deformation on Electrodeposition Kinetics Monroe, Charles; Newman, John Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 151, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1710893	journal	January 2004
Interconnected hollow carbon nanospheres for stable lithium metal anodes Zheng, Guangyuan; Lee, Seok Woo; Liang, Zheng Nature Nanotechnology, Vol. 9, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2014.152	journal	July 2014
Mechanism for improvement in mechanical and thermal stability in dispersed phase polymer composites Thakur, Awalendra K. Ionics, Vol. 17, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-010-0498-y	journal	December 2010
Discharge Characteristics of Lithium Battery Electrodes with a Semiconducting Polymer Studied by Continuum Modeling and Experiment Wu, Shao-Ling; Javier, Anna E.; Devaux, Didier Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 161, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0261412jes	journal	January 2014
The diffusion and conduction of lithium in poly(ethylene oxide)-based sulfonate ionomers LaFemina, Nikki H.; Chen, Quan; Colby, Ralph H. The Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 145, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4962743	journal	September 2016
The electrolytic growth of dendrites from ionic solutions Barton, J. L.; Bockris J., O'M Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 268, Issue 1335, p. 485-505 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1962.0154	journal	August 1962
Nucleation of Electrodeposited Lithium Metal: Dendritic Growth and the Effect of Co-Deposited Sodium Stark, Johanna K.; Ding, Yi; Kohl, Paul A. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 160, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.028309jes	journal	January 2013
The synergetic effect of lithium polysulfide and lithium nitrate to prevent lithium dendrite growth Li, Weiyang; Yao, Hongbin; Yan, Kai Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8436	journal	June 2015
Nanoporous Polymer-Ceramic Composite Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries Tu, Zhengyuan; Kambe, Yu; Lu, Yingying Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 4, Issue 2, Article No. 1300654 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201300654	journal	September 2013
Resolution of the Modulus versus Adhesion Dilemma in Solid Polymer Electrolytes for Rechargeable Lithium Metal Batteries Stone, G. M.; Mullin, S. A.; Teran, A. A. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 159, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.030203jes	journal	January 2012
Lithium Metal Stability in Batteries with Block Copolymer Electrolytes Hallinan, Daniel T.; Mullin, Scott A.; Stone, Gregory M. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 160, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.030303jes	journal	January 2013
Quantifying Polarization Losses in an Organic Liquid Electrolyte/Single Ion Conductor Interface Mehrotra, Amal; Ross, Philip N.; Srinivasan, Venkat Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 161, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0721410jes	journal	January 2014
Investigating Li Microstructure Formation on Li Anodes for Lithium Batteries by in Situ ⁶ Li/ ⁷ Li NMR and SEM Chang, Hee Jung; Trease, Nicole M.; Ilott, Andrew J. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 119, Issue 29 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b03396	journal	July 2015
Phase field kinetics of lithium electrodeposits Ely, David R.; Jana, Aniruddha; García, R. Edwin Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 272 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.08.062	journal	December 2014
Numerical Simulation of Intercalation-Induced Stress in Li-Ion Battery Electrode Particles Zhang, Xiangchun; Shyy, Wei; Marie Sastry, Ann Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 154, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2759840	journal	January 2007
Effective Suppression of Dendritic Lithium Growth Using an Ultrathin Coating of Nitrogen and Sulfur Codoped Graphene Nanosheets on Polymer Separator for Lithium Metal Batteries Shin, Won-Kyung; Kannan, Aravindaraj G.; Kim, Dong-Won ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 7, Issue 42 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5b07730	journal	October 2015
Influence of Electrolyte Modulus on the Local Current Density at a Dendrite Tip on a Lithium Metal Electrode Harry, Katherine J.; Higa, Kenneth; Srinivasan, Venkat Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 163, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0191610jes	journal	January 2016
Failure Analysis of Batteries Using Synchrotron-based Hard X-ray Microtomography Harry, Katherine J.; Parkinson, Dilworth Y.; Balsara, Nitash P. Journal of Visualized Experiments, Vol. 102, Article No. e53021 https://doi.org/10.3791/53021	journal	January 2015
Dendrite short-circuit and fuse effect on Li/polymer/Li cells Rosso, Michel; Brissot, Claire; Teyssot, Anna Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 51, Issue 25, p. 5334-5340 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2006.02.004	journal	July 2006
Modulation of dendritic patterns during electrodeposition: A nonlinear phase-field model Chen, Lei; Zhang, Hao Wei; Liang, Lin Yun Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 300 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.09.055	journal	December 2015
Fundamentals of Electrochemical Deposition Paunovic, Milan; Schlesinger, Mordechay Wiley https://doi.org/10.1002/0470009403	book	November 2005
Live Scanning Electron Microscope Observations of Dendritic Growth in Lithium/Polymer Cells Dollé, Mickaël; Sannier, Lucas; Beaudoin, Bernard Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1519970	journal	January 2002
Mechanical Deformation of a Lithium-Metal Anode Due to a Very Stiff Separator Ferrese, Anthony; Newman, John Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 161, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0911409jes	journal	January 2014
Lithium Dendrite Growth in Glassy and Rubbery Nanostructured Block Copolymer Electrolytes Schauser, Nicole S.; Harry, Katherine J.; Parkinson, Dilworth Y. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 162, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0511503jes	journal	December 2014
Onset of dendritic growth in lithium/polymer cells Rosso, M.; Gobron, T.; Brissot, C. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 97-98 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7753(01)00734-0	journal	July 2001
Dendrite Growth in Lithium/Polymer Systems Monroe, Charles; Newman, John Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 150, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1606686	journal	January 2003
A highly reversible room-temperature lithium metal battery based on crosslinked hairy nanoparticles Choudhury, Snehashis; Mangal, Rahul; Agrawal, Akanksha Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10101	journal	December 2015
Future prospects of the lithium metal anode Takehara, Zen-ichiro Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 68, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7753(96)02546-3	journal	September 1997
In Situ Scanning Electron Microscopy Characterization of the Mechanism for Li Dendrite Growth Tang, Ching-Yen; Dillon, Shen J. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 163, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0891608jes	journal	January 2016
A review on the separators of liquid electrolyte Li-ion batteries Zhang, Sheng Shui Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 164, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2006.10.065	journal	January 2007
Real-time observation of lithium fibers growth inside a nanoscale lithium-ion battery Ghassemi, Hessam; Au, Ming; Chen, Ning Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 99, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3643035	journal	September 2011
Visualization of Electrode–Electrolyte Interfaces in LiPF ₆ /EC/DEC Electrolyte for Lithium Ion Batteries via in Situ TEM Zeng, Zhiyuan; Liang, Wen-I; Liao, Hong-Gang Nano Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1021/nl403922u	journal	March 2014
A Review of Solid Electrolyte Interphases on Lithium Metal Anode Cheng, Xin-Bing; Zhang, Rui; Zhao, Chen-Zi Advanced Science, Vol. 3, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201500213	journal	November 2015
In situ SEM study of the interfaces in plastic lithium cells Orsini, F.; du Pasquier, A.; Beaudouin, B. Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 81-82 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7753(98)00241-9	journal	September 1999
Nonlinear phase field model for electrodeposition in electrochemical systems Liang, Linyun; Chen, Long-Qing Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 26 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905341	journal	December 2014
Modeling dendrite growth during lithium electrodeposition at sub-ambient temperature Akolkar, Rohan Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 246 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.07.056	journal	January 2014
Fabrication and Properties of Composites of Poly(ethylene oxide) and Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes O., Zhou,; L., Fleming,; H., Shimoda, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries https://doi.org/10.17615/naxz-x303	text	January 2002

Cited By (12)

Sulfide Solid Electrolytes for Lithium Battery Applications Lau, Jonathan; DeBlock, Ryan H.; Butts, Danielle M. Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 8, Issue 27 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201800933	journal	August 2018
A Temperature‐Responsive Electrolyte Endowing Superior Safety Characteristic of Lithium Metal Batteries Zhou, Qian; Dong, Shanmu; Lv, Zhaolin Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 10, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201903441	journal	December 2019
The Failure of Solid Electrolyte Interphase on Li Metal Anode: Structural Uniformity or Mechanical Strength? Shen, Xin; Zhang, Rui; Chen, Xiang Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 10, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201903645	journal	March 2020
Electrode Edge Effects and the Failure Mechanism of Lithium-Metal Batteries Lee, Hongkyung; Chen, Shuru; Ren, Xiaodi ChemSusChem, Vol. 11, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201801445	journal	October 2018
An Aggregate Cluster-Dispersed Electrolyte Guides the Uniform Nucleation and Growth of Lithium at Lithium Metal Anodes Lee, Min-Suk; Roev, Victor; Jung, Changhoon ChemistrySelect, Vol. 3, Issue 41 https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201800757	journal	November 2018
Cationic shield mediated electrodeposition stability in metal electrodes Hao, Feng; Verma, Ankit; Mukherjee, Partha P. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 7, Issue 31 https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ta06170c	journal	January 2019
Lithium Mechanics: Roles of Strain Rate and Temperature and Implications for Lithium Metal Batteries LePage, William S.; Chen, Yuxin; Kazyak, Eric Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0221902jes	journal	January 2019
Metal Electrode Surfaces Can Roughen Despite the Constraint of a Stiff Electrolyte McMeeking, Robert M.; Ganser, Markus; Klinsmann, Markus Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0221906jes	journal	January 2019
Impact of External Pressure and Electrolyte Transport Properties on Lithium Dendrite Growth Barai, Pallab; Higa, Kenneth; Srinivasan, Venkat Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 165, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0651811jes	journal	January 2018
On our Limited Understanding of Electrodeposition Mistry, Aashutosh; Srinivasan, Venkat MRS Advances, Vol. 4, Issue 51-52 https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2019.443	journal	January 2019
The influence of stress field on Li electrodeposition in Li-metal battery Yurkiv, Vitaliy; Foroozan, Tara; Ramasubramanian, Ajaykrishna MRS Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 03 https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2018.146	journal	July 2018
Solvent-Free and Scalable Procedure to Prepare PYR13TFSI/LiTFSI/PVDF–HFP Thermoplastic Electrolytes with Controlled Phase Separation and Enhanced Li Ion Diffusion Gregorio, Víctor; García, Nuria; Tiemblo, Pilar Membranes, Vol. 9, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9040050	journal	April 2019

Similar Records

Impact of External Pressure and Electrolyte Transport Properties on Lithium Dendrite Growth

Journal Article · Wed Aug 22 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society · OSTI ID:1510742

Barai, Pallab; Higa, Kenneth; Srinivasan, Venkat

Growth of Lithium Dendrites and Globules through a Solid Block Copolymer Electrolyte as a Function of Current Density

Journal Article · Tue Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C · OSTI ID:1510742

Maslyn, Jacqueline A.; Loo, Whitney S.; McEntush, Kyle D.; +4 more

Uncovering the Relationship between Diameter and Height of Electrodeposited Lithium Protrusions in a Rigid Electrolyte

Journal Article · Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · ACS Applied Energy Materials · OSTI ID:1510742

Ho, Alec S.; Barai, Pallab; Maslyn, Jacqueline A.; +5 more

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
current distribution
dendrite growth
elastic-plastic deformation
lithium metal anode
yield strength

Title: Lithium dendrite growth mechanisms in polymer electrolytes and prevention strategies

Citation Formats

References (61)

Cited By (12)

Similar Records

Related Subjects