Exploring Reproducible Nonaqueous Scanning Droplet Cell Electrochemistry in Model Battery Chemistries.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Sustainable energy storage relies on discovering and optimizing new materials.
• High-throughput experimentation (HTE) with scanning droplet cells (SDC) enables rapid screening of battery materials and parameters.
• Transitioning SDC electrochemistry to aprotic electrolytes presents reproducibility challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the challenges and reproducibility of SDC electrochemistry in aprotic electrolytes for battery research.
• To assess if millimeter-scale half-cells using SDC can achieve reproducibility comparable to larger cells.
• To develop methodologies for consistent electrochemical active areas in SDC half-cells.

Main Methods:

• Investigated SDC electrochemistry in aprotic electrolytes.
• Focused on half-cell configurations for initial screening.
• Explored selection of reference electrodes (REs) and masking techniques for working electrodes (WEs) to ensure consistent electrochemically active areas.

Main Results:

• A Li-Au model anode system was used to test reproducibility.
• Coupling SDC with a masking approach and optical microscopy mitigated electrolyte leakage issues.
• Good reproducibility was achieved in SDC half-cells using the proposed methods.

Conclusions:

• SDC electrochemistry, when optimized with masking techniques, can overcome reproducibility challenges in aprotic electrolytes.
• This approach enables reliable half-cell screening for high-throughput battery material discovery.
• The findings advance HTE for efficient development of next-generation battery materials.