Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Protocol of Electrochemical Test and Characterization of Aprotic Li-O2 Battery
Published on: July 12, 2016
Reversibility of anodic lithium in rechargeable lithium-oxygen batteries
Jiang-Lan Shui1, John S Okasinski, Peter Kenesei
1Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Abstract:
Non-aqueous lithium-air batteries represent the next-generation energy storage devices with very high theoretical capacity. The benefit of lithium-air batteries is based on the assumption that the anodic lithium is completely reversible during the discharge-charge process. Here we report our investigation on the reversibility of the anodic lithium inside of an operating lithium-air battery using spatially and temporally resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction and three-dimensional micro-tomography technique. A combined electrochemical process is found, consisting of a partial recovery of lithium metal during the charging cycle and a constant accumulation of lithium hydroxide under both charging and discharging conditions. A lithium hydroxide layer forms on the anode separating the lithium metal from the separator. However, numerous microscopic 'tunnels' are also found within the hydroxide layer that provide a pathway to connect the metallic lithium with the electrolyte, enabling sustained ion-transport and battery operation until the total consumption of lithium.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Reversible Electrodes
Batteries and Fuel Cells
Voltaic/Galvanic Cells
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
Electrolysis
Weak Acid Solutions
Redox Reactions

