Elucidating the Beneficial Effect of Vinylene Carbonate on the Electrochemistry of Antimony Electrodes in Lithium Batteries

Abstract

Vinylene carbonate (VC) is an effective electrolyte additive for improving electrode performance in lithium-ion batteries. We confirm its beneficial effects in a nanosized Sb-cellulose fiber composite electrode and examine its mechanism of action by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the most suitable technique for characterizing active particle surfaces (especially electrode/electrolyte interfaces). Vinylene carbonate clearly increases electrolyte stability (particularly that of LiPF(6)) by avoiding the formation of a thick layer of LiF that conceals Sb and prevents its reaction with Li. Decreasing the layer thickness therefore increases the reversibility of the electrochemical reaction and improves capacity retention on cycling. The presence of VC afforded high-quality Sb 4d and Li 1s photoemissions, fitting of which clearly exposed a previously unreported low-energy component. We believe that this component is an Li(x)Sb alloy, which for the first time is identified spectroscopically.

High-energy, efficient and transparent electrode for lithium batteries

“…On the other hand, a broad and symmetric peak -not shown here -was found for the Li 1s signal at 55.6 eV, a typical value for Li + species. 20 From the above XPS analysis, it can be inferred that the film is formed by metallic silver and Li-Fe-O oxide.…”

3D Gold Nanocrystal Arrays: A Framework for Reversible Lithium Storage

“…An effective way of developing high-capacity metal-based negative electrodes is by the use of nanosized metal particles. Although this strategy generally results in an improved electrode electrochemical performance, recent studies have shown that reducing particle size does not suffice to ensure a consistently good electrochemical response from a lithium-alloy metal electrode during cycling. − Therefore, research into anode materials should go beyond the mere preparation of nanometric particles. Once the material volume expansion is reduced to the nanodomain by decreasing particle size, the next step should be to confine particles separately.…”

Dendrite-Free and Stable Lithium Metal Anodes Enabled by an Antimony-Based Lithiophilic Interphase

“…38 The adjacent peaks at 528.4 and 537.2 eV corresponded to zerovalent Sb metal. 39 Besides, two weak peaks of SbO x at 529.4 and 538.5 eV are also observed. 40 Though the bombardment of Ar-ion sputtering, the antimonybased lithiophilic interphase can be etched by different thicknesses for accurate depth profiling.…”

“…The high-resolution Sb 3d XPS spectrum of Sb–Li electrode exhibits two main peaks at 526.9 and 536.4 eV (Figure c, bottom), which are assigned to Li 3 Sb . The adjacent peaks at 528.4 and 537.2 eV corresponded to zerovalent Sb metal . Besides, two weak peaks of SbO x at 529.4 and 538.5 eV are also observed .…”