Assessing failure onset and growth mechanisms in solid electrolytes is necessary for high performance solid-state batteries. While phenomenological understanding of failure mechanisms in garnet solid electrolytes exist, limited experimental validation is available. Herein, <i>in situ</i> tomography of Li|LLZO|Li cells is carried out to track morphological transformations in Li metal electrodes during stripping and plating processes. Optimized experimental parameters enable high resolution, high contrast reconstructions that enable lithium metal visualization. Quantitative analysis tools (machine learning, image processing) are developed that enable quantification of physical descriptors of lithium metal (spatial current density, porosity, spatial distribution of pores) during cycling. Hotspots in lithium metal are correlated with microstructural anisotropy in the solid electrolyte. Modeling studies show large heterogeneity in transport and mechanical properties of electrolyte at the electrode|electrolyte interfaces. Local domains showing lower effective properties (transport and mechanical) are identified to be regions where failure modes can initiate due to stress and flux distributions around these regions

Seeing is believing - using x-rays to dynamically investigate all solid state batteries

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.