title: Morphological Evolution of Electrochemically Plated/Stripped Lithium Microstructures Investigated by Synchrotron X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography.
abstract: Due to its low redox potential and high theoretical specific capacity, Li metal has drawn worldwide research attention because of its potential use in next-generation battery technologies such as Li-S and Li-O2. Unfortunately, uncontrollable growth of Li microstructures (LmSs, e.g., dendrites, fibers) during electrochemical Li stripping/plating has prevented their practical commercialization. Despite various strategies proposed to mitigate LmS nucleation and/or block its growth, a fundamental understanding of the underlying evolution mechanisms remains elusive. Herein, synchrotron in-line phase contrast X-ray tomography was employed to investigate the morphological evolution of electrochemically deposited/dissolved LmSs nondestructively. We present a 3D characterization of electrochemically stripped Li electrodes with regard to electrochemically plated LmSs. We clarify fundamentally the origin of the porous lithium interface growing into Li electrodes. Moreover, cleavage of the separator caused by growing LmS was experimentally observed and visualized in 3D. Our systematic investigation provides fundamental insights into LmS evolution and enables us to understand the evolution mechanisms in Li electrodes more profoundly.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Material Science and Technologies, Technical University Berlin , Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Fu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg , Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zielke
authors.affiliation: Institute of Material Science and Technologies, Technical University Berlin , Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Markötter
authors.affiliation: Institute of Material Science and Technologies, Technical University Berlin , Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hilger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Material Science and Technologies, Technical University Berlin , Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg , Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Riko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moroni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg , Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zengerle
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg , Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.|FIT, University of Freiburg , Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thiele
authors.affiliation: Institute of Material Science and Technologies, Technical University Berlin , Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.|Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Banhart
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Manke
keywords: lithium microstructures; lithium strip/plate; lithium-ion battery; morphological evolution; separator; silicon