Aly Badran(1), Thomas Clemenceau(2), Niriaina Andriamady(2), David Marshall(1), Rishi Raj(3)
Social Science Research Network, June 2020. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3610481

Keywords

LLZO, lithium ion electrolytes, ceramic electrolyte, critical current density, dendrites

Abstract

Low values of critical-current-densities are a significant shortcoming in the performance of Li6.25La3Zr2A10.25O12, a ceramic electrolyte. X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) images obtained from pristine and "exhausted" cells constructed with lithium metal electrodes, are used to map the spatial non-uniformity of lithium transport. The current is shown to be concentrated in a limited area of the interface, ostensibly producing low engineering values of the critical-current-density. The total volume of Li-ion transfer calculated from the CT scans, is consistent with Faradaic transport. A qualitative analysis of the maps suggests a current concentration factor of at least ten, and most likely even higher.

How Our Software Was Used

Dragonfly was used for image processing and segmentation.

Author Affiliation

(1) University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Aerospace Engineering and Sciences.
(2) University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Mechanical Engineering.
(3) University of Colorado at Boulder - Materials Science Program.