XPS, time-of-flight-SIMS and polarization modulation IRRAS study of Cr 2O 3 thin film materials as anode for lithium ion battery

Abstract

Ultra-thin Cr 2O 3 films (12.0, 17.3 and 29.6 nm thick) were produced on Cr metal by thermal oxidation, and their electrochemical properties in 1 M LiClO 4 in propylene carbonate (PC) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry. The reductive electrolyte decomposition and the conversion/deconversion process were observed and analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The initial irreversible capacity due to the reduction of electrolyte and the incomplete deconversion process during the first cycle is 70% of the first discharge capacity. A stable charge/discharge capacity of 460 mAh g −1 was obtained in the 3rd to 10th cycles. XPS and PM-IRRAS evidenced the growth of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer that is constituted of Li 2CO 3 formed by reductive decomposition of the electrolyte. The SEI layer thickness and/or density is modified by the conversion/deconversion reaction. ToF-SIMS evidenced the volume expansion/shrink resulting from the conversion/deconversion reaction. ToF-SIMS also revealed an incomplete conversion process limited by mass transport, which partitions the oxide into a converted outer part assigned to Li 2O containing Cr traces and an unconverted inner part ascribed to Cr 2O 3 or lower Cr oxide containing Li. It was found that the deconversion re-homogenizes the oxide film in a single layer but with lithium trapped in it. The present study provides a detailed understanding of the interfacial reaction on the oxide anode undergoing a conversion/deconversion reaction.