Factors influencing charge capacity of vanadium pentoxide thin films during lithium ion intercalation/deintercalation cycles

Abstract

The intercalation of vanadium pentoxide by lithium ions leads to a change in optical properties, a process that is of value in thin-film electrochromic devices. In this study, films of V2O5, deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass coupons by a sol-gel process, were challenged by increasing numbers of charge-discharge cycles ranging from 72 to 589 full cycles. The samples were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and then examined in the deintercalated state by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). XPS enabled measurement of the thickness and composition of the solid-electrolyte interface and provided evidence of the residual V4+ concentration within the top few nanometers of the surface. The SIMS profile gave direct information on the thickness of the films and on the thickness loss caused by rinsing the samples after the electrochemical exposure. Determination, by SIMS, of the concentration of lithium ions has enabled a correction to be made for the amount of inactive material within the electrochemically active region of the film. The SIMS depth profiles for lithium in the four samples are similar, with a marked buildup of Li at the interface with the ITO. This interphase zone had a thickness of ∼27nm and was electrochemically inactive, enabling a further correction to be made. Thus, by means of the XPS and the SIMS results the chemistry and thickness of the films could be fully characterized. The remaining inconsistency between capacity (between 35% and 100% of the anticipated charge) and number of cycles is ascribed to edge effects arising from the method used for production of the coupons.