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In-Situ Electrochemical Transmission Electron Microscopy for Battery Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2014

B. Layla Mehdi ,
Meng Gu ,
Lucas R. Parent ,
Wu Xu ,
Eduard N. Nasybulin ,
Xilin Chen ,
Raymond R. Unocic ,
Pinghong Xu ,
David A. Welch  and
Patricia Abellan
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B. Layla Mehdi*
Affiliation:
Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Meng Gu
Affiliation:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Lucas R. Parent
Affiliation:
Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Wu Xu
Affiliation:
Energy and Environmental Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Eduard N. Nasybulin
Affiliation:
Energy and Environmental Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Xilin Chen
Affiliation:
Energy and Environmental Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Raymond R. Unocic
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
Pinghong Xu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California-Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
David A. Welch
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California-Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Patricia Abellan
Affiliation:
Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Ji-Guang Zhang
Affiliation:
Energy and Environmental Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Jun Liu
Affiliation:
Energy and Environmental Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Chong-Min Wang
Affiliation:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Ilke Arslan
Affiliation:
Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
James Evans
Affiliation:
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
Nigel D. Browning
Affiliation:
Fundamental and Computational Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
*
*Corresponding author.layla.mehdi@pnnl.gov
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Abstract

The recent development of in-situ liquid stages for (scanning) transmission electron microscopes now makes it possible for us to study the details of electrochemical processes under operando conditions. As electrochemical processes are complex, care must be taken to calibrate the system before any in-situ/operando observations. In addition, as the electron beam can cause effects that look similar to electrochemical processes at the electrolyte/electrode interface, an understanding of the role of the electron beam in modifying the operando observations must also be understood. In this paper we describe the design, assembly, and operation of an in-situ electrochemical cell, paying particular attention to the method for controlling and quantifying the experimental parameters. The use of this system is then demonstrated for the lithiation/delithiation of silicon nanowires.

Keywords

in-situ liquid ec-TEMassembly of in-situ liquid electrochemical TEM cellLi-ion batterySi anodeSi nanowire lithiation/delithiationLi-ion battery
Type
In Situ Special Section
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 484 - 492
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2014 

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