Issue 35, 2021

In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroelectrochemistry reveals the molecular conformation of electrolyte additives in Li-ion batteries

Abstract

We report the mechanism of rhodamine B (RhB) acting as an electrolyte additive in Li/graphite cells. We show that the cycle performance and rate capability of graphite are enhanced in carbonate-based electrolytes containing 0.2 wt% RhB. By using silica-encapsulated Au nanoparticles, in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is applied to study the graphite/electrolyte interface. We find that the adsorption orientation of RhB molecules on the surface of graphite can be modulated by the applied potential: vertical adsorption at higher potentials while horizontal adsorption takes place at lower potentials. This behavior effectively suppresses the electrolyte solvent decomposition, as well as electrode corrosion while improving the Li+ diffusion. This work shows that SERS is a powerful tool for interfacial analysis of battery systems and provides new ideas for rational design of electrolyte additives.

Graphical abstract: In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroelectrochemistry reveals the molecular conformation of electrolyte additives in Li-ion batteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 May 2021
Accepted
02 Aug 2021
First published
02 Aug 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021,9, 20024-20031

In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroelectrochemistry reveals the molecular conformation of electrolyte additives in Li-ion batteries

C. Zhu, C. Fan, E. Cortés and W. Xie, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021, 9, 20024 DOI: 10.1039/D1TA04218A

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