On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering

Prehal C, von Mentlen J-M, Drvarič Talian S, Vizintin A, Dominko R, Amenitsch H, Porcar L, Freunberger SA, Wood V. 2022. On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering. Nature Communications. 13, 6326.

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Author
Prehal, Christian; von Mentlen, Jean-Marc; Drvarič Talian, Sara; Vizintin, Alen; Dominko, Robert; Amenitsch, Heinz; Porcar, Lionel; Freunberger, Stefan AlexanderISTA ; Wood, Vanessa
Department
Abstract
The inadequate understanding of the mechanisms that reversibly convert molecular sulfur (S) into lithium sulfide (Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S) via soluble polysulfides (PSs) formation impedes the development of high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with non-aqueous electrolyte solutions. Here, we use operando small and wide angle X-ray scattering and operando small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements to track the nucleation, growth and dissolution of solid deposits from atomic to sub-micron scales during real-time Li-S cell operation. In particular, stochastic modelling based on the SANS data allows quantifying the nanoscale phase evolution during battery cycling. We show that next to nano-crystalline Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S the deposit comprises solid short-chain PSs particles. The analysis of the experimental data suggests that initially, Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> precipitates from the solution and then is partially converted via solid-state electroreduction to Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S. We further demonstrate that mass transport, rather than electron transport through a thin passivating film, limits the discharge capacity and rate performance in Li-S cells.
Publishing Year
Date Published
2022-10-24
Journal Title
Nature Communications
Acknowledgement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant NanoEvolution, grant agreement No 894042. The authors acknowledge the CERIC-ERIC Consortium for the access to the Austrian SAXS beamline and TU Graz for support through the Lead Project LP-03. Likewise, the use of SOMAPP Lab, a core facility supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Graz University of Technology, the University of Graz, and Anton Paar GmbH is acknowledged. In addition, the authors acknowledge access to the D-22SANS beamline at the ILL neutron source. Electron microscopy measurements were performed at the Scientific Scenter for Optical and Electron Microscopy (ScopeM) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. C.P. and J.M.M. thank A. Senol for her support with the SANS beamtime preparation. S.D.T, A.V. and R.D. acknowledge the financial support by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) research core funding P2-0393 and P2-0423. Furthermore, A.V. acknowledge the funding from the Slovenian Research Agency, research project Z2−1863. S.A.F. is indebted to IST Austria for support.
Volume
13
Article Number
6326
ISSN
IST-REx-ID

Cite this

Prehal C, von Mentlen J-M, Drvarič Talian S, et al. On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering. Nature Communications. 2022;13. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-33931-4
Prehal, C., von Mentlen, J.-M., Drvarič Talian, S., Vizintin, A., Dominko, R., Amenitsch, H., … Wood, V. (2022). On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering. Nature Communications. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33931-4
Prehal, Christian, Jean-Marc von Mentlen, Sara Drvarič Talian, Alen Vizintin, Robert Dominko, Heinz Amenitsch, Lionel Porcar, Stefan Alexander Freunberger, and Vanessa Wood. “On the Nanoscale Structural Evolution of Solid Discharge Products in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Using Operando Scattering.” Nature Communications. Springer Nature, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33931-4.
C. Prehal et al., “On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering,” Nature Communications, vol. 13. Springer Nature, 2022.
Prehal C, von Mentlen J-M, Drvarič Talian S, Vizintin A, Dominko R, Amenitsch H, Porcar L, Freunberger SA, Wood V. 2022. On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering. Nature Communications. 13, 6326.
Prehal, Christian, et al. “On the Nanoscale Structural Evolution of Solid Discharge Products in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Using Operando Scattering.” Nature Communications, vol. 13, 6326, Springer Nature, 2022, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-33931-4.
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