Elastic and Plastic Mechanical Properties of Lithium Measured by Nanoindentation

Darnbrough, James Ed; Aspinall, Jack; Pasta, Mauro; Armstrong, David E.J.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4332906

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 42 publications

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“…In addition, the sample surface is required to be stable under very intense beam conditions typically used to generate suitable electron backscatter patterns (EBSPs) (I beam > 10 nA, U > 20 kV) in the SEM. Therefore, very few EBSD analyses of lithium foils 26,[31][32][33] exist to date and to the best of our knowledge no data have been reported for sodium foils or electrodeposited alkali metals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imaging the Microstructure of Lithium and Sodium Metal in “Anode-Free” Solid-State Batteries using EBSD

Janek,

Fuchs,

Ortmann

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“Anode-free” or more fittingly, metal reservoir-free cells (RFCs) have the potential of drastically improving current solid-state battery technology by achieving higher energy density, improving safety and simplifying the manufacturing process. Various strategies have been reported so far to control the morphology of electrodeposited alkali metal films to be homogeneous and dense, for example, by utilizing planar interfaces with seed interlayers or three-dimensional host structures. To date, the microstructure of such electrodeposited alkali metal, i.e., its grain size distribution, shape and orientation is unknown, and a suitable characterization route is yet to be identified. At the same time, the influence of the alkali metal microstructure on the electrochemical performance of the anode, including the available discharge capacity, is expected to be substantial. Hence, analysis of the microstructure and its influence on the performance of electrochemically deposited alkali metal layers is a key requirement to improving cell performance. This work establishes first a highly reproducible protocol for characterizing the size and orientation of metal grains in differently processed lithium and sodium samples by a combination of focused-ion beam (FIB) techniques and electron-backscatter diffraction (EBSD) with high spatial resolution. After ruling out grain growth in lithium or sodium during room temperature storage or induced by FIB, electrodeposited films at Cu|LLZO, Steel|LPSCl and Al|NZSP interfaces were then characterized. The analyses show very large grain sizes (> 100 µm) within these films and a clear preferential orientation of grain boundaries. Furthermore, metal growth and dissolution were investigated using in situ SEM analyses, showing a dynamic grain coarsening during electrodeposition and pore formation within grains during dissolution. Our methodology and results open up a new research field for the improvement of solid-state battery performance through first characterization of the deposited alkali metal microstructure and subsequently suggesting methods to control it.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%