The development of high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) demands firm understandings of the component behaviors and the capacity fading mechanism, especially during their real operations. Thus, operando characterization techniques incorporated with diffraction, microscopy, spectroscopy, etc., aiming for the multiple-scale investigations on the battery components from various perspectives such as physical/electrochemical/mechanical properties, have drawn worldwide interests in the last decade. Diffraction using X-rays, electrons, and neutrons undoubtedly plays a vital role as it manages to answer the fundamental questions related to the structural changes in any of the battery components, particularly the active electrode materials. Compared to X-ray/electron, neutron diffraction (ND) has irreplaceable advantages for the study of LIBs. For example, neutrons are sensitive to light elements such as Li, C, and O, which are often difficult to detect with X-ray/electron diffraction. Neutrons also offer drastically different scattering lengths for neighboring elements in the periodic table or isotopes for the same element. This feature enables the distinction between 3d transition-metal elements (Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) those are frequently used in cathode materials for LIBs. Unlike diffraction, neutron radiography (NR) has often been overlooked to study LIBs, despite it can provide full-scale imaging information of a battery due to the excellent penetration depth of neutrons and good contrast between elements. In this presentation, the speaker will introduce the most-recent developments made in Spallation Neutron Source/High Flux Isotope Reactor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, dedicating to realize operando neutron scattering characterizations for the study of LIBs. Operando ND and NR will be discussed individually based on the distinct scientific questions they could answer.

Applications of operando neutron scattering for battery study

2019 Fall National Meeting

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