The maximum discharge capacity in non-aqueous Li-O 2 batteries has been limited to a fraction of its theoretical value, largely due to a conformal deposition of Li 2 O 2 on the cathode surface. However, it has recently been established that additives that increase the shielding of either O 2 − or Li + will activate the formation of toroidal shaped Li 2 O 2 , thereby dramatically increasing cell capacity. Here we apply porous electrode theory to electrochemical impedance measured at the Li-O 2 cathode to investigate changes in the surface-and ionic resistance within the pores under conditions where either the surface-mechanism or the solution-mechanism is favored. Our experimental observations show that (i) an additional charge transfer process is observed in the impedance spectrum where the solution-based mechanism is favored; (ii) that the changes in the ionic resistance in the cathode during discharge (related to Li 2 O 2 build up) is much greater in cells where the solution-based mechanism is activated and can qualitatively determine the extent of discharge product deposited within the pores of the cathode versus the deposition extent at the electrode/electrolyte interface; and (iii) that the observed "sudden-death" during discharge is a consequence of the increasing charge transfer resistance regardless of whether Li 2 O 2 forms predominantly through either the surface-or solution-based mechanism. The Li-O 2 battery has, since Jiang and Abraham's seminal 1996 report, 1 received significant attention due to its high theoretical specific energy and energy density of 3500 Wh/kg and 3400 Wh/L, respectively.2 These values are based on the overall cell reaction in non-aqueous electrolytes that can be described as 2Li + O 2 Li 2 O 2 , with the forward reaction corresponding to discharge and the reverse direction to charge. To understand how to more appropriately engineer a practical Li-O 2 cathode and electrolyte, the mechanism of Li 2 O 2 formation has been the focus of significant research in the past 10 years. Laorie et al. 3,4 initially showed that varying Lewis basicity of the electrolyte substantially influenced the electrochemical kinetics and reversibility of the Li/O 2 reaction. Deposition morphology of Li 2 O 2 was also found to be influenced by electrolyte properties 5 and current density 6,7 with large (∼500-1000 nm) toroids or thin (∼5 nm) conformal films of Li 2 O 2 forming under various conditions. These observations have been explained by two independent reaction mechanisms that appear to be influenced primarily by electrolyte Lewis acidity or basicity, 5,8,9 which can be tuned through solvent, 5 anion, 9 and additive 8 selection. These two main reaction pathways for Li 2 O 2 deposition are referred to here as either the surface-or solution-based mechanism. The surface mechanism (Figure 1a) occurs in electrolytes with low Lewis basicity and acidity, where LiO 2 is insoluble, disallowing diffusion away from its initial site of formation and resulting in conformal Li 2 O 2 film formation during discha...