Demonstration of an electrochemical liquid cell for operando transmission electron microscopy observation of the lithiation/delithiation behavior of Si nanowire battery anodes.
Over the past few years, in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of lithium ion batteries using an open-cell configuration have helped us to gain fundamental insights into the structural and chemical evolution of the electrode materials in real time. In the standard open-cell configuration, the electrolyte is either solid lithium oxide or an ionic liquid, which is point-contacted with the electrode. This cell design is inherently different from a real battery, where liquid electrolyte forms conformal contact with electrode materials. The knowledge learnt from open cells can deviate significantly from the real battery, calling for operando TEM technique with conformal liquid electrolyte contact. In this paper, we developed an operando TEM electrochemical liquid cell to meet this need, providing the configuration of a real battery and in a relevant liquid electrolyte. To demonstrate this novel technique, we studied the lithiation/delithiation behavior of single Si nanowires. Some of lithiation/delithation behaviors of Si obtained using the liquid cell are consistent with the results from the open-cell studies. However, we also discovered new insights different from the open cell configuration-the dynamics of the electrolyte and, potentially, a future quantitative characterization of the solid electrolyte interphase layer formation and structural and chemical evolution.
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland, Washington 99352, United States.
Meng
M
Gu
Lucas R
LR
Parent
B Layla
BL
Mehdi
Raymond R
RR
Unocic
Matthew T
MT
McDowell
Robert L
RL
Sacci
Wu
W
Xu
Justin Grant
JG
Connell
Pinghong
P
Xu
Patricia
P
Abellan
Xilin
X
Chen
Yaohui
Y
Zhang
Daniel E
DE
Perea
James E
JE
Evans
Lincoln J
LJ
Lauhon
Ji-Guang
JG
Zhang
Jun
J
Liu
Nigel D
ND
Browning
Yi
Y
Cui
Ilke
I
Arslan
Chong-Min
CM
Wang
D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D008094:Lithium / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
D008094:Lithium; D012825:Silicon