Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
11:25
In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries
Published on: November 10, 2014
Correlating Interfacial Li+ Exchange Rate with Reversible Cycling of Lithium Metal Anodes
Mingming Tao1,2, Hongxin Lin1, Wenhao Wu1
1State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory (IKKEM), Xiamen University, Fujian, Xiamen 361005, China.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|July 2, 2026
Summary
Researchers quantified ion transport in lithium metal battery solid electrolyte interphases (SEI). They found Li2O facilitates Li+ transport, enabling uniform lithium deposition and high Coulombic efficiency in artificial SEIs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is crucial for lithium metal battery performance, yet its ion transport mechanisms remain poorly understood.
- Quantitative characterization of SEI ion transport is essential for improving battery cycling reversibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively characterize Li+ exchange rates within SEI components.
- To elucidate the relationship between interfacial ion transport and lithium deposition morphology.
- To provide design principles for engineering efficient artificial SEIs.
Main Methods:
- Selective nuclear magnetic resonance exchange spectroscopy (EXSY NMR) with a saturation-recovery method.
- Two-site chemical exchange modeling.
- COMSOL simulation for interfacial transport and deposition morphology.
- Multiscale characterization including cross-polarization (CP) NMR and cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM).
Main Results:
- Quantified interfacial Li+ exchange rates between lithium metal and SEI components.
- Demonstrated a link between interfacial transport and lithium deposition morphology.
- Elucidated that Li2O facilitates rapid Li+ transport, while LiF transport depends on an interface with Li2O.
- Achieved 99.5% Coulombic efficiency with a Li2S artificial SEI constructed via atomic layer deposition (ALD).
Conclusions:
- Established quantitative kinetic insights into SEI ion transport.
- Demonstrated the importance of Li2O in facilitating Li+ transport within the SEI.
- Showcased the successful application of an ALD-constructed Li2S artificial SEI for enhanced lithium metal battery performance.
- Provided valuable design principles for future lithium metal battery SEI engineering.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Processes at Electrodes
The electrode interacts with ions in the electrolyte solution at its interface. The rate of oxidation and reduction depends on the speed at which electrons can transfer through this interface. As ions attach to or leave the electrode surface, the electrode acquires a charge, and an electrical potential forms across the interface, making the process more difficult to reach equilibrium. The charge on the electrode affects the local ion concentrations in the solution, though thermal motion...
01:24Types of Reversible Electrodes
For electrode reversibility to be maintained, all the reactants and products involved in the half-reaction must be present at the electrode. There are several types of reversible electrodes (half-cells).In metal-metal-ion electrodes, a metal balances electrochemically with a solution of its own ions. Examples are Cu2+|Cu and Zn2+|Zn. Metals that react with the solvent, like group 1 and most group 2 metals, which react with water, and zinc, which reacts with aqueous acidic solutions, cannot be...
01:24Electrochemical Systems
Electrochemical systems provide a fascinating insight into the dynamic interplay of charged species within various phases. One notable example is the interaction between a membrane permeable to K⁺ ions but not to Cl⁻ ions, separating an aqueous KCl solution from pure water. As K⁺ ions diffuse through the membrane, they generate net charges on each phase, leading to a potential difference between them.Similarly, when a piece of Zn is immersed in an aqueous ZnSO₄ solution, the Zn metal, composed...
01:17Ion Exchange
Ion exchange chromatography separates charged molecules from a solution by reversibly exchanging them with mobile, or 'active', ions associated with the oppositely charged stationary phase. This method can be used to separate ions, soften and deionize water, and purify solutions. The polymers comprising the ion-exchange column are high-molecular-weight and chemically stable polymers, crosslinked to be porous and essentially insoluble. They are also functionalized with either acidic or basic...
01:06Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
Interfacial electrochemical methods focus on the phenomena occurring at the boundary between an electrode and a solution, as opposed to bulk methods that concentrate on the solution's overall properties. These interfacial methods are classified as either static or dynamic based on the presence of a nonzero current in the electrochemical cell and the consistency of analyte concentrations. Static methods, such as potentiometry, measure the cell's potential without any significant current passing...
01:30The Electrical Double Layer
In the region where two bulk phases meet, an intricate electric charge distribution arises due to charge transfer, ion adsorption, molecular orientation, and charge distortion. This complex distribution is commonly referred to as the electrical double layer.When a solid electrode interfaces with ions in an electrolyte solution, the speed of electron transfer dictates the rates of oxidation and reduction. The electrode acquires a charge through the escape of atoms into the solution as cations or...