STEM study of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ anode material modified with Ag nanoparticles

Abstract

Comprehensive scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis of Li4 Ti5 O12 (LTO) powder modified by deposited Ag nanoparticles was performed. Nanocomposite powders with Ag content of 1 wt.%, 4 wt.%, 10 wt.% were fabricated in a chemical process from suspensions of Ag and LTO. Apart from the STEM results, the presence of pure silver on the surface of the ceramic powder was confirmed by XRD and XPS analyses. The silver particles deposited on the LTO particles were characterized using the EDS mapping technique. The quantified results of the EDS mapping showed a relatively homogenous distribution of silver nanoparticles on the powder surface for every metal content. The mean diameter of the nanoparticles deposited on the LTO powder was about 4 nm in all cases. An increase in the Ag content during chemical surface modification did not cause changes in the microstructure. Focusing on an analysis of the metallic nanoparticles on the ceramic powder, electron tomography was used as an investigative technique. A very precise analysis of three-dimensional nanostructures is desirable for a comprehensive analysis of complex materials. The quantified analysis of the Ag nanoparticles visualized using electron tomography confirmed the results of the size measurements taken from the two-dimensional EDS maps.

Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy for Electrode and Solid‐Electrolyte Materials in Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…Because of its incoherent nature, electron tomography using HAADF imaging is suitable for direct 3D reconstruction in real space. For example, Ag‐modified spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 powder has been examined to study the 3D location and size distribution of the Ag nanoparticles deposited on the substrate volume . XEDS can also be applied to achieve 3D chemical imaging of nanoscale materials.…”

Spectroscopic and structural properties of CeO2 nanocrystals doped with La3+, Nd3+ and modified on their surface with Ag nanoparticles

“…Lately, to remove excess alcohol and water from the suspension the conditions of air-dried at 150 C for a few hours was utilized. In order to obtain a fine powders, the so-obtained composites in an agate mortar were grounded [49,50,51,52,53].…”

Effect of Pt Deposits on TiO2 Electrocatalytic Activity Highlighted by Electron Tomography

“…Electron tomography is a very powerful technique for characterizing nanoscale materials in three dimensions (3D), with a resolution of a few nanometers. , Even with atomic-level resolution, similar results can be obtained using the atom probe tomography technique . However, this technique is more suitable for the 3D characterization of solid materials, especially in terms of local chemical composition.…”