In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electrochemical Reaction Mechanisms in Rechargeable Batteries

Xiaoyu Wu; Songmei Li; Bin Yang; Chongmin Wang

doi:10.1007/s41918-019-00046-2

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2019, Vol. 2 ›› Issue (3) : 467 -491. DOI: 10.1007/s41918-019-00046-2

Review Article

In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electrochemical Reaction Mechanisms in Rechargeable Batteries

Xiaoyu Wu ²^,³
, Songmei Li ²^,^b
, Bin Yang ³^,⁴
, Chongmin Wang ¹^,^d

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¹Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 99352, Richland, WA, USA

²Key Laboratory of Aerospace Advanced Materials and Performance of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, 100191, Beijing, China

³Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, 99354, Richland, WA, USA

⁴Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 99352, Richland, WA, USA

^b songmei_li@buaa.edu.cn

^d Chongmin.Wang@pnnl.gov

Xiaoyu Wu

received her B.S degree from Beihang University in 2014. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Materials Physics and Chemicals at Beihang University under the supervision of Prof. Songmei Li. She is also a visiting scholar in Prof. Bin Yang’s group at Washington State University and Dr. Chongmin Wang’s group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 2017. Her research is focused on the design and synthesis of novel nanostructured materials and their applications in electrochemical energy storage, and the in situ TEM investigations on reaction mechanisms of energy materials.

Songmei Li

is a Full Professor in the School of Materials Sciences and Engineering at Beihang University. She was a visiting scholar at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Her research interests include nanostructured materials for energy-related applications, materials electrochemistry, electrochemical measurement technology and microbial corrosion. She authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and obtained a number of patents. She is currently a council member of the Chinese Society of Corrosion and Protection and a member of Committee on Corrosion Resistant Alloys in Chinese Society of Corrosion and Protection.

Bin Yang

is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Washington State University. He received the 2019–2020 Fulbright Distinguished Chair Award in Energy and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and the 2011 DARPA Young Faculty Award. His current research interests lie in areas of biomass pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and conversion technologies that accelerate commercial application of biomass processing to bio-based products. He authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters and has five patents. He serves as an advisory editor board member for leading biorefinery journals.

Chongmin Wang

is a staff scientist at Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. His research is focused on S/TEM, especially in situ S/TEM and energy materials. Before joining PNNL, he worked at Max-Planck Institute for Metal Research in Stuttgart of Germany, NIMS of Japan and Lehigh University of USA. He is the recipients of MRS Innovation in Materials Characterization Award, JMR Paper of the Year Award, Microscopy Today Innovation Award, Rowland Snow Award (American Ceramic Society), R&D100 Award, Outstanding Invention Award (Japan) and PNNL Directors Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He is a fellow of MRS.

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Abstract

Abstract

Rechargeable batteries dominate the energy storage market of portable electronics, electric vehicles and stationary grids, and corresponding performance advancements are closely related to the fundamental understanding of electrochemical reaction mechanisms and their correlation with structural and chemical evolutions of battery components. Through advancements in aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques for significantly enhanced spatial resolution, in situ TEM techniques in which a nanobattery assembly is integrated into the system can allow for the direct real-time probing of structural and chemical evolutions of battery components under dynamic operating conditions. Here, open-cell in situ TEM configurations can provide the atomic resolution imaging of the intrinsic response of materials to ion insertion or extraction, whereas the development of sealed liquid cells can provide new avenues for the observation of electrochemical processes and electrode-electrolyte interface reactions that are relevant to real battery systems. And because of these recent developments in in situ TEM techniques, this review will present recent key progress in the utilization of in situ TEM to reveal new sciences in rechargeable batteries, including complex reaction mechanisms, structural and chemical evolutions of battery materials and their correlation with battery performances. In addition, scientific insights revealed by in situ TEM studies will be discussed to provide guiding principles for the design of better electrode materials for rechargeable batteries. And challenges and new opportunities will also be discussed.

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Xiaoyu Wu, Songmei Li, Bin Yang, Chongmin Wang. In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies of Electrochemical Reaction Mechanisms in Rechargeable Batteries. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2019, 2(3): 467-491 DOI:10.1007/s41918-019-00046-2