Nanoscale visualization of redox activity at lithium-ion battery cathodes.
Intercalation and deintercalation of lithium ions at electrode surfaces are central to the operation of lithium-ion batteries. Yet, on the most important composite cathode surfaces, this is a rather complex process involving spatially heterogeneous reactions that have proved difficult to resolve with existing techniques. Here we report a scanning electrochemical cell microscope based approach to define a mobile electrochemical cell that is used to quantitatively visualize electrochemical phenomena at the battery cathode material LiFePO4, with resolution of ~100 nm. The technique measures electrode topography and different electrochemical properties simultaneously, and the information can be combined with complementary microscopic techniques to reveal new perspectives on structure and activity. These electrodes exhibit highly spatially heterogeneous electrochemistry at the nanoscale, both within secondary particles and at individual primary nanoparticles, which is highly dependent on the local structure and composition.
1] WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan [2] Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Yasufumi
Y
Takahashi
WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
Akichika
A
Kumatani
Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan.
Hirokazu
H
Munakata
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Hirotaka
H
Inomata
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Komachi
K
Ito
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Kosuke
K
Ino
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Hitoshi
H
Shiku
Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Patrick R
PR
Unwin
Division of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK.
Yuri E
YE
Korchev
Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan.
Kiyoshi
K
Kanamura
1] WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan [2] Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
Tomokazu
T
Matsue