In situ/operando synchrotron-based X-ray techniques for lithium-ion battery research

Seong-Min Bak,Xiao-Qing Yang,Ruoqian Lin,Xiqian Yu,Zulipiya Shadike

doi:10.1038/s41427-018-0056-z

Abstract

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology is the most attractive technology for energy storage systems in today’s market. However, further improvements and optimizations are still required to solve challenges such as energy density, cycle life, and safety. Addressing these challenges in LIBs requires a fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms in various physical/chemical processes during LIB operation. Advanced in situ/operando synchrotron-based X-ray characterization techniques are powerful tools for providing valuable information about the complicated reaction mechanisms in LIBs. In this review, several state-of-the-art in situ/operando synchrotron-based X-ray techniques and their combination with other characterization tools for battery research are introduced. Various in situ cell configurations and practical operating tips for cell design and experimental set-ups are also discussed.

Highlights

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the most widely used electrochemical storage devices for portable electronics, and are considered the best candidates for the power systems of electrical vehicles[1]
Considering the importance of advanced in situ/operando characterization techniques in battery studies, this review presents an overview of state-of-the-art in situ/ operando synchrotron-based X-ray techniques for LIB research, providing some basic guidelines for researchers in the battery field
While X-ray diffraction (XRD) covers only Bragg scattering and provides long-range average structural information, the pair distribution function (PDF) techniques utilize the total scattering (Bragg and diffuse scattering), which can be used to investigate the materials with short-range ordering, and provides local information especially the atomic pair distribution relating to chemical, structural, and morphological transformations that occur during electrochemical reactions

Summary

Introduction

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the most widely used electrochemical storage devices for portable electronics, and are considered the best candidates for the power systems of electrical vehicles[1]. The synchrotron-based X-ray techniques provide powerful tools for studying and monitoring the changes of crystal structure, electronic structure, chemical composition, and morphology of electrode materials in electrochemical cells during operation, and the results are very valuable to improve the performance of existing systems and to design new battery materials.

Results

Conclusion