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arXiv · 2209.10138

Observation of the Surface Layer of Lithium Metal using In Situ Spectroscopy

Ambrose Seo·Andrew Meyer·Sujan Shrestha·Ming Wang·Xingcheng Xiao·Yang-Tse Cheng
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Abstract

We have investigated the surface of lithium metal using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and optical spectroscopic ellipsometry. Even if we prepare the surface of lithium metal rigorously by chemical cleaning and mechanical polishing inside a glovebox, both spectroscopic investigations show the existence of a few tens of nanometer-thick surface layers, consisting of lithium oxides and lithium carbonates. When lithium metal is exposed to room air (~50% moisture), in situ real-time monitoring of optical spectra indicates that the surface layer grows at a rate of approximately 24 nm/min, presumably driven by an interface-controlled process. Our results hint that surface-layer-free lithium metals are formidable to achieve by a simple cleaning/polishing method, suggesting that the initial interface between lithium metal electrodes and solid-state electrolytes in fabricated lithium metal batteries can differ from an ideal lithium/electrolyte contact.

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Ambrose Seo, Andrew Meyer, Sujan Shrestha, Ming Wang, Xingcheng Xiao, Yang-Tse Cheng. 2022-09-21. Observation of the Surface Layer of Lithium Metal using In Situ Spectroscopy. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0096546

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