Microgravimetric and Spectroscopic Analysis of Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Presence of Additives

Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) with damping monitoring is applied for real-time analysis of solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation in diphenyl octyl phosphate (DPOP) and vinylene carbonate (VC) modified electrolytes. Fast SEI formation is observed for the DPOP containing electrolyte, whereas slow growth is detected in VC-modified and reference electrolytes. QCM measurements in a dry state show considerable reduction of the mass quantity for DPOP and reference samples and minor mass decrease for the SEI layer formed in the presence of VC. The results indicate that VC enhances SEI stability, whereas the addition of DPOP or no additive results in incorporation of loosely attached species, leadubg to SEI instability. Resonance frequency damping, Δw, and dissipation factor, D, are used for analyzing mechanical properties of the SEI layers. The apparent increase of Δw and D during SEI formation in presence of DPOP suggests a pronounced viscoelasticity of the layer. QCM results are compared with surface morphology and chemical composition, revealing excellent agreement of the applied characterization approaches.