Cycling of block copolymer composites with lithium-conducting ceramic nanoparticles.

Solid polymer and perovskite-type ceramic electrolytes have both shown promise in advancing solid-state lithium metal batteries. Despite their favorable interfacial stability against lithium metal, polymer electrolytes face issues due to their low ionic conductivity and poor mechanical strength. Highly conductive and mechanically robust ceramics, on the other hand, cannot physically remain in contact with redox-active particles that expand and contract during charge-discharge cycles unless excessive pressures are used. To overcome the disadvantages of each material, polymer-ceramic composites can be formed; however, depletion interactions will always lead to aggregation of the ceramic particles if a homopolymer above its melting temperature is used. In this study, we incorporate Li0.33La0.56TiO3 (LLTO) nanoparticles into a block copolymer, polystyrene-b-poly (ethylene oxide) (SEO), to develop a polymer-composite electrolyte (SEO-LLTO). TEMs of the same nanoparticles in polyethylene oxide (PEO) show highly aggregated particles whereas a significant fraction of the nanoparticles are dispersed within the PEO-rich lamellae of the SEO-LLTO electrolyte. We use synchrotron hard x-ray microtomography to study the cell failure and interfacial stability of SEO-LLTO in cycled lithium-lithium symmetric cells. Three-dimensional tomograms reveal the formation of large globular lithium structures in the vicinity of the LLTO aggregates. Encasing the SEO-LLTO between layers of SEO to form a "sandwich" electrolyte, we prevent direct contact of LLTO with lithium metal, which allows for the passage of seven-fold higher current densities without signatures of lithium deposition around LLTO. We posit that eliminating particle clustering and direct contact of LLTO and lithium metal through dry processing techniques is crucial to enabling composite electrolytes.

Active States During the Reduction of CO2 by a MoS2 Electrocatalyst.

Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as MoS2 are Earth-abundant catalysts that are attractive for many chemical processes, including the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). While many studies have correlated synthetic preparation and architectures with macroscopic electrocatalytic performance, not much is known about the state of MoS2 under functional conditions, particularly its interactions with target molecules like CO2. Here, we combine operando Mo K- and S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with first-principles simulations to track changes in the electronic structure of MoS2 nanosheets during CO2RR. Comparison of the simulated and measured XAS discerned the existence of Mo-CO2 binding in the active state. This state perturbs hybridized Mo 4d-S 3p states and is critically mediated by sulfur vacancies induced electrochemically. The study sheds new light on the underpinnings of the excellent performance of MoS2 in CO2RR. The electronic signatures we reveal could be a screening criterion toward further gains in activity and selectivity of TMDCs in general.

The Origin of High-Voltage Stability in Single-Crystal Layered Ni-Rich Cathode Materials.

Compared with the polycrystal (PC) Ni-rich cathode materials, the single-crystal (SC) counterpart displayed excellent structural stability, high reversible capacity and limited voltage decay during cycling, which received great attention from academics and industry. However, the origin of fascinating high-voltage stability within SC is poorly understood yet. Herein, we tracked the evolution of phase transitions, in which the destructive volume change and H3 phase formation presented in PC, are effectively suppressed in SC when cycling at a high cut-off voltage of 4.6 V, further clarifying the origin of high-voltage stability in SC cathode. Moreover, SC electrode displayed crack-free morphology, and excellent electrochemical stability during long-term cycling, whereas PC suffered severe capacity and voltage fade because of the spinel-like phase, decoding the failure mechanisms of PC and SC during cycling at high cut-off voltages. This finding provides universal insights into high-voltage stability and failure mechanisms of layered Ni-rich cathode materials.