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Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is an important technique for tracing and understanding the side reactions responsible for decreasing performance of Li-ion batteries. Interpretation of different spectral components is dependent on correct binding energy referencing and for battery electrodes this is highly complex. In this work, we investigate the effect on binding energy reference points in PES in correlation to solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, changing electrode potentials and state of charge variations in Li-ion battery electrodes. The results show that components in the SEI have a significantly different binding energy reference point relative to the bulk electrode material (i.e. up to 2 eV). It is also shown that electrode components with electronically insulating/semi-conducting nature are shifted as a function of electrode potential relative to highly conducting materials. Further, spectral changes due to lithiation are highly depending on the nature of the active material and its lithiation mechanism. Finally, a strategy for planning and evaluating PES experiments on battery electrodes is proposed where some materials require careful choice of one or more internal reference points while others may be treated essentially without internal calibration.

Operando ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy in realistic battery environments is a key development towards probing the functionality of the electrode/electrolyte interface in lithium-ion batteries that is not possible with conventional photoelectron spectroscopy. Here, we present the ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of a model electrolyte based on 1M bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt in propylene carbonate. For the first time, we show ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy data of propylene carbonate in the liquid phase by using solvent vapor as the stabilizing environment. This enables us to separate effects from salt and solvent, and to characterize changes in electrolyte composition as a function of probing depth. While the bulk electrolyte meets the expected composition, clear accumulation of ionic species is found at the electrolyte surface. Our results show that it is possible to measure directly complex liquids such as battery electrolytes, which is an important accomplishment towards true operando studies.

The electrochemical potential difference (Δμ̅) is the driving force for the transfer of a charged species from one phase to another in a redox reaction. In Li-ion batteries (LIBs), Δμ̅ values for both electrons and Li-ions play an important role in the charge-transfer kinetics at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Because of the lack of suitable measurement techniques, little is known about how Δμ̅ affects the redox reactions occurring at the solid/liquid interfaces during LIB operation. Herein, we outline the relations between different potentials and show how ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy (APPES) can be used to follow changes in Δμ̅_e over the solid/liquid interfaces operando by measuring the kinetic energy (KE) shifts of the electrolyte core levels. The KE shift versus applied voltage shows a linear dependence of ∼1 eV/V during charging of the electrical double layer and during solid electrolyte interphase formation. This agrees with the expected results for an ideally polarizable interface. During lithiation, the slope changes drastically. We propose a model to explain this based on charge transfer over the solid/liquid interface.

The important electrochemical processes in a battery happen at the solid/liquid interfaces. Operando ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy (APPES) is one tool to study these processes with chemical specificity. However, accessing this crucial interface and identifying the interface signal are not trivial. Therefore, we present a measurement setup, together with a suggested model, exemplifying how APPES can be used to probe potential differences over the electrode/electrolyte interface, even without direct access to the interface. Both the change in electron electrochemical potential over the solid/liquid interface, and the change in Li chemical potential of the working electrode (WE) surface at Li-ion equilibrium can be probed. Using a Li4Ti5O12 composite as a WE, our results show that the shifts in kinetic energy of the electrolyte measured by APPES can be correlated to the electrochemical reactions occurring at the WE/electrolyte interface. Different shifts in kinetic energy are seen depending on if a phase transition reaction occurs or if a single phase is lithiated. The developed methodology can be used to evaluate charge transfer over the WE/electrolyte interface as well as the lithiation/delithiation mechanism of the WE.

Ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy (APPES) is combined with electrochemistry (EC) to investigate the interface between the liquid electrolyte and the solid electrode in Li-ion battery (LIB) cells. The combination of these techniques is promising for further understanding the functionality of LIB interfaces, but it is also associated with several experimental challenges. In this work a functional EC-cell which allows for probing the solid/liquid interface is achieved by the dip-and-pull method. Two systems consisting of a 1M LiClO4 in propylene carbonate electrolyte and a sputter deposited lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) or lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) thin film electrode are investigated. A methodology for combined EC/APPES measurements is proposed, where continuously changing the measurement spot is necessary to avoid accumulation of surface species during X-ray exposure. The APPES spectra from the LCO and NMC electrodes show binding energy (BE) shifts depending on applied voltage. It is argued that this is related to the lithiation of the material, as the BE shifts are found to coincide with expected phase transitions to more conductive phases. The experimental data is compared to results from supercell DFT calculations modelling the bulk material. The opposite trends observed in the experimental and computational approaches indicate the importance of an accurate treatment of the exchange for a proper description of the oxidation states of the Co atoms and their corresponding core-level shifts. 

The increased energy density in Li-ion batteries is particularly dependent on the cathode materials that so far have been limiting the overall battery performance. A new class of materials, Li-rich disordered rock salts, has recently been brought forward as promising candidates for next-generation cathodes because of their ability to reversibly cycle more than one Li-ion per transition metal. Several variants of these Li-rich cathode materials have been developed recently and show promising initial capacities, but challenges concerning capacity fade and voltage decay during cycling are yet to be overcome. Mechanisms behind the significant capacity fade of some materials must be understood to allow for the design of new materials in which detrimental reactions can be mitigated. In this study, the origin of the capacity fade in the Li-rich material Li2VO2F is investigated, and it is shown to begin with degradation of the particle surface that spreads inward with continued cycling.

Lithium-rich transition metal disordered rock salt (DRS) oxyfluorides have the potential to lessen one large bottleneck for lithium ion batteries by improving the cathode capacity. However, irreversible reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface have so far led to fast capacity fading during electrochemical cycling. Here, we report the synthesis of two new Li-rich transition metal oxyfluorides Li₂V_0.5Ti_0.5O₂F and Li₂V_0.5Fe_0.5O₂F using the mechanochemical ball milling procedure. Both materials show substantially improved cycling stability compared to Li₂VO₂F. Rietveld refinements of synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the DRS structure of the materials. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we demonstrate that substitution of V³⁺ with Ti³⁺ and Fe³⁺ favors disordering of the mixed metastable DRS oxyfluoride phase. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the substitution stabilizes the active material electrode particle surface and increases the reversibility of the V³⁺/V⁵⁺ redox couple. This work presents a strategy for stabilization of the DRS structure leading to improved electrochemical cyclability of the materials.

rich disordered rock-salt structures have, because of their high theoretical capacity, gained a lot of attention as a promising class of cathode materials for battery applications. However, the cycling stability of these materials has so far been less satisfactory. Here, we present three different film-forming electrolyte additives: lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB), lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiODFB), and glycolide, which all improve the cycling performance of the high-capacity Li-rich disordered rock-salt material Li2VO2F. The best performing additive, LiODFB, shows a 12.5% increase of capacity retention after 20 cycles. The improved cycling performance is explained by the formation of a protective cathode interphase on the electrode surface. Photoelectron spectroscopy is used to show that the surface layer is created from degradation of the electrolyte salt and additive cosalts. The cathode interphase can mitigate oxidation and following degradation of the active material, and thereby a higher degree of redox-active vanadium can be maintained after 20 cycles.

Promising theoretical capacities and high voltages are offered by Li-rich disordered rocksalt oxyfluoride materials as cathodes in lithium-ion batteries. However, as has been discovered for many other Li-rich materials, the oxyfluorides suffer from extensive surface degradation, leading to severe capacity fading. In the case of Li2VO2F, we have previously determined this to be a result of detrimental reactions between an unstable surface layer and the organic electrolyte. Herein, we present the protection of Li2VO2F particles with AIF(3) surface modification, resulting in a much-enhanced capacity retention over 50 cycles. While the specific capacity for the untreated material drops below 100 mA h g(-1) after only 50 cycles, the treated materials retain almost 200 mA h g(-1) . Photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling confirms the stabilization of the active material surface by the surface modification and reveals its suppression of electrolyte decomposition.