The Role of Dissolved Gas in Ionic Liquid Electrolytes for Secondary Lithium Metal Batteries

Abstract

The effect of dissolved gas on the reversibility of a Li/Li+ electrode in an ionic liquid electrolyte was investigated. Lithium metal is a potential anode in lithium batteries. The ionic liquid electrolyte was saturated with argon, nitrogen, oxygen, air, or carbon dioxide and the coulombic efficiency for the reduction and reoxidation of lithium metal was measured. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was used to determine the thickness and composition of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formed on the lithium metal. The coulombic cycling efficiency was highest with oxygen, nitrogen, and air. The coulombic efficiency was significantly lower with dissolved carbon dioxide. SIMS revealed that the SEI layer was made up of primarily LiF regardless of the gas used. The thickness of the SEI layer was the main determinant of cycling efficiency. A thinner SEI, observed with nitrogen and oxygen, lead to the highest coulombic efficiency, whereas, carbon dioxide produced a thick SEI which appeared to inhibit lithium deposition.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 07, 2013
Accession Number
ADA581277

Entities

People

  • Johanna K. Stark
  • Paul A Kohl
  • Yi Ding

Organizations

  • Georgia Tech

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Dissolved Gases
  • Electrodes
  • Electrolytes
  • Elements
  • Energy
  • Gases
  • Ionic Liquids
  • Ions
  • Liquids
  • Materials
  • Nitrogen
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Stainless Steel
  • Thickness

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Naval Mine Countermeasure Systems Development.
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.