PNNL

Abstract

We report the first real-time transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of the structural evolution and phase transformation of lithium-ion battery anode during the battery charging process. A nanobattery consisting of a single SnO2 nanowire anode and an ionic liquid electrolyte was successfully constructed in a TEM. We observed that during the charging process, the SnO2 crystal was converted to Li2O glass with LixSn nanocrystalline precipitates as the reaction front propagated progressively along the nanowire. After the reaction front passed, the nanowire showed swelling, elongation, and large off-axis distortion (spiraling). Upon completion of the electrochemical charging, the nanowire showed up to 120% elongation and a 30% increase in diameter with a volume expansion of about 272%. The charging front, which separates the reacted and unreacted sections of the nanowire, contains a high density of mobile dislocations, which are continuously nucleated and annihilated at the moving reaction front. This dislocation cloud indicates large in-plane misfit stresses, and serves as structural precursor to the eventual complete solid-state amorphization. The rate of charging in our nanobatteries is found to be proportional to the inverse square root of nanowire length, indicating that a standalone nanobattery or integrated arrays of nanobatteries should have kinetic advantage over conventional battery design. The present observations also provide important mechanistic insights for the design of advanced batteries with improved performance and lifetime for broad electrical energy storage applications.