Quantifying microstructural dynamics and electrochemical activity of graphite and silicon-graphite lithium ion battery anodes

Patrick Pietsch, Daniel Westhoff, Julian Feinauer, Jens Eller, Federica Marone, Marco Stampanoni, Volker Schmidt and Vanessa Wood ()
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Patrick Pietsch: Laboratory of Nanoelectronics
Daniel Westhoff: Institute of Stochastics, Helmholtzstrasse 18, Ulm University
Julian Feinauer: Institute of Stochastics, Helmholtzstrasse 18, Ulm University
Jens Eller: Laboratory of Nanoelectronics
Federica Marone: Swiss Light Source, WBBA/216, Paul Scherrer Institut
Marco Stampanoni: Swiss Light Source, WBBA/216, Paul Scherrer Institut
Volker Schmidt: Institute of Stochastics, Helmholtzstrasse 18, Ulm University
Vanessa Wood: Laboratory of Nanoelectronics

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Despite numerous studies presenting advances in tomographic imaging and analysis of lithium ion batteries, graphite-based anodes have received little attention. Weak X-ray attenuation of graphite and, as a result, poor contrast between graphite and the other carbon-based components in an electrode pore space renders data analysis challenging. Here we demonstrate operando tomography of weakly attenuating electrodes during electrochemical (de)lithiation. We use propagation-based phase contrast tomography to facilitate the differentiation between weakly attenuating materials and apply digital volume correlation to capture the dynamics of the electrodes during operation. After validating that we can quantify the local electrochemical activity and microstructural changes throughout graphite electrodes, we apply our technique to graphite-silicon composite electrodes. We show that microstructural changes that occur during (de)lithiation of a pure graphite electrode are of the same order of magnitude as spatial inhomogeneities within it, while strain in composite electrodes is locally pronounced and introduces significant microstructural changes.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12909

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