Operando, In Situ and Ex Situ Studies of Battery Materials

A special issue of Batteries (ISSN 2313-0105). This special issue belongs to the section "Battery Materials and Interfaces: Anode, Cathode, Separators and Electrolytes or Others".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4032

Special Issue Editors

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Interests: nanosynthesis; Li batteries; in situ liquid-phase TEM/SEM; 3D electron tomography
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang 110870, China
Interests: supercapacitor; metal ion battery; electrocatalyst; photocatalyst; energy storage and conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: solid batteries; material characterization
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: materials physics and characterization
College of Chemical Engineering and Safety, Binzhou University, Binzhou 256600, China
Interests: Batteries; energy material design; solid batteries
Faculty of Materials and Manufacting, Beijing University of Technology, Beijng 100124, China
Interests: material in situ characterization; simulation (materials); machine learning (battery materials)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing demands on energy storage require a significant improvement in current battery electrode materials and the development of advanced electrode materials. This necessitates an in-depth understanding of the reaction processes, degradation mechanisms, and thermal decomposition mechanisms of electrode materials under realistic operation conditions.

However, it is a great challenge to study batteries under operating conditions, which are limited by the environment. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made towards understanding the intricate dynamics that underlie the operation of batteries. The development of in situ, ex situ and operando experimental techniques has been critical for revealing how materials change, transform, and degrade within battery systems during charge and discharge.

This Special Issue focuses on all levels of in situ, ex situ and operando experiments to understand the dynamics of a variety of different battery materials, including alloy/conversion electrodes, intercalation electrodes, and alkali metal anodes. These areas include primary batteries, secondary batteries, improved data analytics, the linkage of dynamics across time and length scales, and understanding the atomic-scale evolution of interphases. We expect that continued progress in investigating the elaborate inner workings of battery systems across time and length scales will benefit to advance future battery technologies.

Dr. Xiaohui Song
Prof. Dr. Xiang Wu
Prof. Dr. Cheng Ma
Dr. Xiaotao Liu
Prof. Dr. Weimin Zhao
Dr. Xingyu Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • in situ/operando TEM study of batteries
  • in situ/operando SEM study of batteries
  • cryo-EM study of batteries
  • in situ/operando NMR study of batteries
  • in situ/operando XRD/XPS study of batteries
  • improved (big) data analytics
  • dynamics across time and length scales
  • atomic-scale evolution of interphases
  • in situ/operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy
  • in situ/operando Raman
  • in situ/operando combined optical characterization

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2966 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Effect of Zn–Co Bimetallic Selenide Composites for Lithium–Sulfur Battery
by Deng Li, Huinan Pan, Zhonghai Lin, Xiulian Qiu, Xinyu Zhao, Wei Yang, Wenzhi Zheng and Fengming Ren
Batteries 2023, 9(6), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9060307 - 02 Jun 2023
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Abstract
Compared with monometallic selenides, heterogeneous bimetallic selenides have rich phase boundaries and superior electrical conductivity. ZnSe/CoSe2 composites were prepared by introducing Zn metal and using ZIF-8/67 as the precursor through the synergistic effect between Zn and Co after selenification. The electrocatalytic conversion [...] Read more.
Compared with monometallic selenides, heterogeneous bimetallic selenides have rich phase boundaries and superior electrical conductivity. ZnSe/CoSe2 composites were prepared by introducing Zn metal and using ZIF-8/67 as the precursor through the synergistic effect between Zn and Co after selenification. The electrocatalytic conversion of polysulfide is accelerated by ZnSe through chemical adsorption and the catalytic effect. The conductive CoSe2 surface provides a rapid diffusion path for lithium ions, accelerating the conversion of the polysulfide. On the basis of their individual strengths, ZnSe and CoSe2 can jointly promote the smooth adsorptive–diffuse–catalytic conversion process of polysulfide and induce the growth of lithium sulfide around its heterogeneous interface, thus enhancing the electrochemical performance of the lithium–sulfur battery cathode materials. The ZnSe/CoSe2–S electrode, at the optimal Zn-to-Co ratio of 1:1, has a 790.06 mAh g−1 initial specific capacity at 0.2 C and excellent cycling stability at 1 C. After 300 cycles, the final capacity is 300.85 mAh g−1, and the capacity retention rate reaches 82.71%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operando, In Situ and Ex Situ Studies of Battery Materials)
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25 pages, 10489 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Electrochemical Behaviour of Al Current Collector Material Polarised Highly Anodically and Located in Butyltrimethylammonium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid
by Jaanus Kruusma, Tanel Käämbre, Arvo Tõnisoo, Vambola Kisand, Karmen Lust and Enn Lust
Batteries 2023, 9(3), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9030189 - 22 Mar 2023
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Abstract
The electrochemical behaviour of Al, used as a current collector in supercapacitors and in Li-ion and Na-ion electrochemical power sources, was investigated for the first time using the in situ soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method, collecting the information directly at the electrolyte-covered [...] Read more.
The electrochemical behaviour of Al, used as a current collector in supercapacitors and in Li-ion and Na-ion electrochemical power sources, was investigated for the first time using the in situ soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method, collecting the information directly at the electrolyte-covered Al current collector polarised electrochemically at high anodic potentials. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and synchrotron in situ soft XPS methods were applied to collect physical and electrochemical information characterising the electrochemically polarised Al-current-collector RTIL interface soaked into the butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (N4111(TFSI)) room-temperature ionic liquid. The obtained data show the start of intensive oxidation processes, including aluminium oxidation and the formation of an insoluble Al(TFSI)3 surface layer in N4111(TFSI) at E ≥ 3.0 V (vs. Ag-QRE). Very intensive electro-oxidation of TFSI anions at E ≥ 6.5 V (vs. Ag-QRE) has been observed. CV data indicate that the electrochemical oxidation of once-activated Al is possible in N4111(TFSI) at 1.1 V < E < 1.6 V (vs. Ag-QRE). Therefore, the oxidation of Al starts at E ≥ 2.05 V (vs. Ag-QRE) if the Al surface is modified with electro-oxidation products of TFSI anions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operando, In Situ and Ex Situ Studies of Battery Materials)
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Review

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12 pages, 3561 KiB  
Review
Research Progress of Shear Thickening Electrolyte Based on Liquid–Solid Conversion Mechanism
by Qianqian Huang, Xin Liang, Bing Liu and Huaxia Deng
Batteries 2023, 9(7), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9070384 - 19 Jul 2023
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Abstract
As an essential component of the lithium-ion battery system, electrolyte plays a crucial role in ion transport between the electrodes. In the event of thermal runaway, commercial organic electrolytes are prone to internal disturbances and fires; hence, research on safe electrolytes has gradually [...] Read more.
As an essential component of the lithium-ion battery system, electrolyte plays a crucial role in ion transport between the electrodes. In the event of thermal runaway, commercial organic electrolytes are prone to internal disturbances and fires; hence, research on safe electrolytes has gradually become a hot topic during recent years. Shear thickening electrolyte, as a new type of smart electrolyte, can exhibit a liquid state in the absence of external force and rapidly converts to a quasi-solid state once the battery is subjected to drastic impact loading. In this paper, the recent progress of shear thickening electrolytes with liquid–solid switching performance is presented, including its working principles, synthesis and preparation procedure, and battery performance. Additionally, the perspective and challenges for practical application are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operando, In Situ and Ex Situ Studies of Battery Materials)
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