Neutron Reflectometry Study of Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Highly Concentrated Electrolytes

• Highly concentrated electrolytes have been found to improve the cycle life and Coulombic efficiency of lithium metal anodes, as well as to suppress dendrite growth. However, the mechanism for these improvements is not well understood. Partly, this can be linked to the difficulty of accurately characterizing the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), known to play an important role for anode stability and stripping/plating efficiency. Herein, in situ neutron reflectometry is used to obtain information about SEI formation in a highly concentrated ether-based electrolyte. With neutron reflectometry, the thickness, scattering length density (SLD), and roughness of the SEI layer formed on a Cu working electrode are nondestructively probed. The reflectivity data point to the formation of a thin (5 nm) SEI in the highly concentrated electrolyte (salt:solvent ratio 1:2.2), while a considerably thicker (13 nm) SEI is formed in an electrolyte at lower salt concentration (salt:solvent ratio 1:13.7). Further, the SEI formed in the electrolyte with high salt concentration has a higher SLD, suggesting that the chemical composition of the SEI changes. The results from neutron reflectometry correlate well with the electrochemical data from SEI formation.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Oorganisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Inorganic Chemistry (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Fysikalisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Physical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Materialkemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Materials Chemistry (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

thickness

highly concentrated electrolytes

lithium metal anodes

solid electrolyte interphase

neutron reflectometry

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)