Imaging a lithium metal battery solid electrolyte interphase 

Gatan instrument used

The K3^® IS camera delivers simultaneous low-dose imaging via real-time electron counting, fast continuous data capture, and a large field of view. The model 626 cryo-transfer holder enables frost-free low-temperature specimen transfer and subsequent imaging of radiation-sensitive frozen samples at high resolution with precise temperature measurement.

Background

Developing better batteries is critical for advancing a number of technologies for energy and the environment, and lithium (Li) metal is an attractive anode material based on its fundamental properties. One of the issues limiting the use of Li metal is the formation and instability of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Therefore, understanding the exact structure and structural dynamics of the SEI in new battery designs is valuable. Imaging the SEI is challenging. It is a thin and possibly heterogeneous layer, thus requiring high-resolution imaging, but it is also quite sensitive to the electron beam which makes standard HR TEM difficult. Here, we observe the SEI in a new electrolyte as described in [1].