Gallium-Indium-Tin Eutectic as a Self-Healing Room-Temperature Liquid Metal Anode for High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Owing to their intrinsic properties, such as deformability, high electrical conductivity, and superior electrochemical performance, room-temperature liquid metals and liquid metal alloys have attracted the attention of researchers for a wide variety of applications, including portable and large-scale energy storage applications. In this study, novel gallium-indium-tin eutectic (EGaInSn) room-temperature liquid metal nanoparticles synthesized using a facile and scalable probe-ultrasonication method were used as anode material in lithium-ion batteries. The morphology, geometry, and self-healing properties of the synthesized room-temperature liquid metal nanoparticles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS and TEM/EDS). The synthesized room-temperature liquid metal nanoparticles delivered a specific capacity of 474 mAh g–1 and retained 77% of the stable reversible capacity after 500 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles at a constant current density of 0.1 A g–1. The high theoretical specific capacity, combined with its self-healing and fluidic features, make EGaInSn room-temperature liquid metal nanoparticles a potential anode material for large-scale energy storage applications.

Amorphous TiO2 shells: an Essential Elastic Buffer Layer for High‐Performance Self‐Healing Eutectic GaSn Nano‐Droplet Room‐Temperature Liquid Metal Battery

“…To characterise the electrochemical performance of the eGaSn@TiO 2 NDs negative electrode, a CV test was performed in a voltage range of 0–2 V (vs. Li + /Li) at a scan rate of 0.05 mV s −1 (Figure 3a). In the scans of three cycles, four repeatable reduction peaks are observed at approximately 0.41, 0.54, 0.57, and 0.71 V, corresponding to the alloying reaction of Ga with Li + [13,21] . The cathodic peak at 0.48 V corresponds to the alloying of Li with Sn [27–29] .…”

“…In the scans of three cycles, four repeatable reduction peaks are observed at approximately 0.41, 0.54, 0.57, and 0.71 V, corresponding to the alloying reaction of Ga with Li + . [13,21] The cathodic peak at 0.48 V corresponds to the alloying of Li with Sn. [27][28][29] The cathodic peak at 0.75 V is associated with the reduction of the oxygen-containing functional groups of Ga 3 + .…”

“…The authors have cited additional references within the Supporting Information (Ref. [13,16,18,19,33]).…”

“…Due to the fluidity and high surface tension, Ga can heal itself during the lithiation/delithiation processes. More importantly, liquid Ga exhibited a high lithium storage capacity (~769 mAh g −1 ) [13,14] . However, pure Ga becomes solid at room temperature, which significantly deteriorates the performance of the electrodes.…”

Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia Conversion at an InSn‐Enriched Liquid‐Metal Electrode

“…From SEM imaging and EDX analysis (Figure 3) it was found that the morphology of the GaInSn film changes after 1 hour of nitrate reduction. For Galinstan an even distribution of Ga, In and Sn elements should occur [17] and the In : Sn ratio should be 2 : 1, however after nitrate reduction, not only does the morphology change, but the In : Sn ratio increases in many areas of the electrode indicating the formation of In−Sn rich regions within the predominantly Ga film. This is seen in the EDX mapping images showing the accumulation and co‐location of In and Sn elements (Figure 3) while an EDX spectrum of one of these areas is shown in Figure S5 indicating a higher composition of In.…”