Unraveling Li growth kinetics in solid electrolytes due to electron beam charging.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37126560.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abq3285 and PMC identifier 10132747.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Revealing the local structure of solid electrolytes (SEs) with electron microscopy is critical for the fundamental understanding of the performance of solid-state batteries (SSBs). However, the intrinsic structural information in the SSB can be misleading if the sample's interactions with the electron beams are not fully understood. In this work, we systematically investigate the effect of electron beams on Al-doped lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) under different imaging conditions. Li metal is observed to grow directly on the clean surface of LLZO. The Li metal growth kinetics and the morphology obtained are found to be heavily influenced by the temperature, accelerating voltage, and electron beam intensity. We prove that the lithium growth is due to the LLZO delithiation activated by a positive charging effect under electron beam emission. Our results deepen the understanding of the electron beam impact on SEs and provide guidance for battery material characterization using electron microscopy.