Revealing the Role of Fluoride-Rich Battery Electrode Interphases by Operando Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), a complex layer that forms over the surface of electrodes exposed to battery electrolyte, has a central influence on the structural evolution of the electrode during battery operation. For lithium metallic anodes, tailoring this SEI is regarded as one of the most effective avenues for ensuring consistent cycling behavior, and thus practical efficiencies. While fluoride-rich interphases in particular seem beneficial, how they alter the structural dynamics of lithium plating and stripping to promote efficiency remains only partly understood. Here, operando liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy is used to investigate the nanoscale structural evolution of lithium electrodeposition and dissolution at the electrode surface across fluoride-poor and fluoride-rich interphases. The in situ imaging of lithium cycling reveals that a fluoride-rich SEI yields a denser Li structure that is particularly amenable to uniform stripping, thus suppressing lithium detachment and isolation. By combination with quantitative composition analysis via mass spectrometry, it is identified that the fluoride-rich SEI suppresses overall lithium loss through drastically reducing the quantity of dead Li formation and preventing electrolyte decomposition. These findings highlight the importance of appropriately tailoring the SEI for facilitating consistent and uniform lithium dissolution, and its potent role in governing the plated lithium's structure.