FROM ATOMS TO ELECTRODES: MESOSCALE EFFECTS IN ELECTROCHEMICAL CONVERSION

摘要

In the search for new Li-ion battery electrodes that provide the best compromise between capacity, power, charge rates, and longterm stability, increasingly complex composite materials and reaction mechanisms have emerged, e.g. the high-capacity conversion electrodes based on highly abundant iron compounds. Energy storage devices based on these materials are complex multicomponent systems wherein mesoscale phenomena—the nanoscale structure and chemistry of different components, and interactions thereof—drive functionality and performance. Understanding the complex coupling of atomic, chemical and electronic transformation across multiple length scales that underlies the performance of these devices presents a significant characterization challenge. New advanced characterization tools are needed to address these complex systems, with multiple probes required to prove insights into the dynamic process that occur during the electrochemical cycling.