Impacts of Curing-Induced Phase Segregation in Silicon Nanoparticle-Based Electrodes

We report the investigation of silicon nanoparticle composite anodes for Li-ion batteries, using a combination of two nm-scale atomic force microscopy-based techniques: scanning spreading resistance microscopy for electrical conduction mapping and contact resonance and force volume for elastic modul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Batteries (Basel) 2024-09, Vol.10 (9), p.313
Main Authors: Huey, Zoey, Carroll, G. Michael, Coyle, Jaclyn, Walker, Patrick, Neale, Nathan R., DeCaluwe, Steven, Jiang, Chunsheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anodes
Carbon
Carbon black
contact resonance force microscopy
Curing
Design and construction
Electric contacts
Electrical conduction
Electrochemical analysis
Electrodes
ENERGY STORAGE
INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Lithium cells
Lithium-ion batteries
lithium-ion battery
Mapping
Materials
Measurement techniques
Mechanical properties
Microscopy
Modulus of elasticity
Morphology
Nanoindentation
Nanoparticles
Polyethylene oxide
Scanning electron microscopy
scanning spreading resistance microscopy
Silicon
silicon anode
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Summary:We report the investigation of silicon nanoparticle composite anodes for Li-ion batteries, using a combination of two nm-scale atomic force microscopy-based techniques: scanning spreading resistance microscopy for electrical conduction mapping and contact resonance and force volume for elastic modulus mapping, along with scanning electron microscopy-based energy dispersion spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and electrochemical analysis. Thermally curing the composite anode—made of polyethylene oxide-treated Si nanoparticles, carbon black, and polyimide binder—reportedly improves the anode electrochemical performance significantly. This work demonstrates phase segregation resulting from thermal curing, where alternating bands of carbon and silicon active material are observed. This electrode morphology is retained after extensive cycling, where the electrical conduction of the carbon-rich bands remains relatively unchanged, but the mechanical modulus of the bands decreases distinctly. These electrical and mechanical factors may contribute to performance improvement, with carbon bands serving as a mechanical buffer for Si deformation and providing electrical conduction pathways. This work motivates future efforts to engineer similar morphologies for mitigating capacity loss in silicon electrodes.
ISSN:2313-0105
2313-0105
DOI:10.3390/batteries10090313