Abstract
Understanding the microstructural morphology of Li–ion battery electrodes is crucial to improving the electrochemical performance of current Li–ion battery systems and in developing next-generation power systems. The use of 3D X-ray imaging techniques, which are continuously evolving, provides a non-invasive platform to study the relationship between electrode microstructure and performance at various time and length scales. In addition to characterizing a weakly (X-ray) absorbing graphite electrode at multiple length scales, we implement an approach for obtaining improved nano-scale image contrast on a laboratory X-ray microscope by combining information obtained from both absorption–contrast and Zernike phase-contrast X-ray images.
Highlights
Li-ion batteries have achieved widespread use in a variety of electronic applications, ranging from portable consumer electronic devices to electric vehicles and aircraft to grid storage applications
X-ray microscopy, or X-ray Microscopy (XRM), is an imaging technique that employs digital geometry processing to reconstruct a 3D image of the internal structure of an object from a series of two-dimensional (2D) X-ray projection images, which are recorded as the object is rotated about a single axis
In standard X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), the 2-D projection images are progressively obtained by passing a beam of X-rays from an X-ray source through the sample object as it is rotated at certain angular increments
Summary
Li-ion batteries have achieved widespread use in a variety of electronic applications, ranging from portable consumer electronic devices to electric vehicles and aircraft to grid storage applications. Electrochemical reactions which take place within Li–ion batteries are supported by porous composite electrodes, which consist mainly of particles of active material mixed with a conductive material and binder. The microstructure of these electrodes is inherently three-dimensional and has a strong influence on battery performance metrics such as durability, capacity retention, cyclability, and safety. The Gaþ focused-ion beam interacts with graphitic structures, often resulting in highly nonuniform surface milling; with conventional absorption contrast X-ray imaging, it is difficult to obtain high-contrast images due to the extremely small X-ray absorption coefficients of low-Z materials, especially at the nanometer length scale
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