Multiscale characterization of a lithium/sulfur battery by coupling operando X-ray tomography and spatially-resolved diffraction

Guillaume Tonin (1, 2, 3, 4) , Gavin Vaughan (2) , Renaud Bouchet (1, 4) , Fannie Alloin (1, 4) , Marco Di Michiel (2) , Laura Boutafa (3) , Jean-Francois Colin (3) , Celine Barchasz (3)

1 RS2E - Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l'énergie
2 ESRF - European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
3 LITEN - Laboratoire d'Innovation pour les Technologies des Energies Nouvelles et les nanomatériaux
4 LEPMI - Laboratoire d'Electrochimie et de Physico-chimie des Matériaux et des Interfaces

Due to its high theoretical specific capacity, the lithium/sulfur battery is one of the most promising candidates for replacing current lithium-ion batteries. In this work, we investigate both chemical and morphological changes in the electrodes during cycling, by coupling operando spatially resolved X-ray diffraction and absorption tomography to characterize Li/S cells under real working conditions. By combining these tools, the state of the active material in the entire cell was correlated with its electrochemical behavior, leading to a deeper understanding of the performance limiting degradation phenomena in Li/S batteries. Highly heterogeneous behavior of lithium stripping/plating was observed in the anode, while the evolution of sulfur distribution in the cathode depth was followed during cycling

Domaines: Physique [physics]

Guillaume Tonin, Gavin Vaughan, Renaud Bouchet, Fannie Alloin, Marco Di Michiel, et al.. Multiscale characterization of a lithium/sulfur battery by coupling operando X-ray tomography and spatially-resolved diffraction. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7, 8 p. ⟨10.1038/s41598-017-03004-4⟩. ⟨hal-01691805⟩