Operando Synchrotron Studies of Inhomogeneity during Anode-Free Plating of Li Metal in Pouch Cell Batteries

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

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Author(s)

  • Monty R. Cosby
  • Gia M. Carignan
  • Zhuo Li
  • Corey M. Efaw
  • Charles C. Dickerson
  • Liang Yin
  • Bin Li
  • Eric J. Dufek
  • Peter G. Khalifah

Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Article number020571
Journal / PublicationJournal of the Electrochemical Society
Volume169
Issue number2
Online published28 Feb 2022
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022
Externally publishedYes

Abstract

Operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies have not previously been used to directly characterize Li metal in standard batteries due to the extremely weak scattering from Li atoms. In this work, it is demonstrated the stripping and plating of Li metal can be effectively quantified during battery cycling in appropriately designed synchrotron XRD experiments that utilize an anodefree battery configuration in which a Li-containing cathode material of LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 (NMC622) is paired with a bare anode current collector consisting of either Cu metal (Cu/NMC) or Mo metal (Mo/NMC). In this configuration, it is possible to probe local variations in the deposition and stripping of Li metal with sufficient spatial sensitivity to map the inhomogeneity in pouch cells and to follow these processes with sufficient time resolution to track state-of-charge-dependent variations in the rate of Li usage at a single point. For the Cu/NMC and Mo/NMC batteries, it was observed that the initial plating of Li occurred in a very homogeneous manner but that severe macroscopic inhomogeneity arose on a mm-scale during the subsequent stripping of Li, contrasting with the conventional wisdom that the greatest challenges in Li metal batteries are associated with Li deposition.

Citation Format(s)

Operando Synchrotron Studies of Inhomogeneity during Anode-Free Plating of Li Metal in Pouch Cell Batteries. / Cosby, Monty R.; Carignan, Gia M.; Li, Zhuo et al.
In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 169, No. 2, 020571, 02.2022.

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review