Analysis of Electrochemical Lithiation and Delithiation Kinetics in Silicon

Abstract

Analysis of lithiation and delithiation kinetics in pulse-laser-deposited crystalline thin-film silicon (Si) electrodes is presented. Data from open-circuit relaxation experiments are used in conjunction with a model based on Tafel kinetics and double-layer capacitance to estimate the apparent transfer coefficients (αa, αc) and exchange current density to capacitance ratio (i0/Cdl) for lithiation and delithiation reactions in a lithiated silicon (LixSi) system. Parameters estimated from data sets obtained during first-cycle amorphization of crystalline Si, as well as from cycled crystalline Si and amorphous Si thin-film electrodes do not show much variation, indicating that they are intrinsic to lithiation/delithiation in Si. A methodology to estimate the side-reaction rate on a well-cycled electrode and its role in the evolution of the open-circuit potential of the LixSi system are discussed. We conclude that the large potential offset between lithiation and delithiation reactions at any given state of charge is partially caused by a large kinetic resistance (i.e., small i0). Using the estimated parameters, the model is shown to predict successfully the behavior of the system under galvanostatic lithiation and delithiation.