Battery Aging Analysis

Nanoscale Imaging of Lithium Distribution and Interface Degradation with FIB-SIMS

애플리케이션 / Energy and Chemicals / Battery Aging Analysis

Nanoscale 3D mapping
Sub-50 nm resolution

Depth profiling <10 nm
Light-element detection

배경

Analyze Battery Aging with Nanoscale FIB-SIMS Imaging

Aging in lithium-ion batteries leads to performance loss due to chemical and structural changes at buried interfaces, especially within the Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI). Over repeated charge–discharge cycles, lithium depletion, SEI growth, and transition metal migration cause capacity fade and reduced lifetime. Understanding how lithium and other species distribute across electrodes is critical to improving electrochemical processes.

TOFWERK fibTOF enables high-resolution 3D focused ion beam secondary ion mass spectrometry (FIB-SIMS) imaging of lithium-ion batteries and GDEs, revealing lithium distribution, SEI composition, and transition metal migration with sub-50 nm lateral and 10 nm depth resolution. Integrated with standard FIB-SEM platforms, it allows researchers to directly visualize how lithium and related compounds (e.g., LiF, Li₂O) accumulate or deplete during cycling, and how deposits on GDE surfaces impact electrochemical performance. These insights help optimize electrode design, electrolyte additives, and interface stability for longer-lasting energy storage systems.

솔루션

FIB-SIMS Analysis for Battery Aging
- Maps lithium distribution in electrodes and porous GDEs with nanoscale resolution
- Detects light elements (Li, H, B, F) invisible to conventional EDX
- 3D chemical mapping of SEI and electrode interfaces
- Monitors transition metal migration and deposition affecting battery aging
- Supports electrolyte additive optimization for improved SEI and performance
Positive secondary ion elemental maps showing the distributions of the major lithium isotope ⁷Li⁺, Li₂O⁺ molecular ion, and the isotope of manganese ⁵⁵Mn⁺ at different depths. The sample is a graphite anode from an NMC battery cycled to the end of its life (50 % state of health) in the presence of an additive. A ⁶⁹Ga⁺FIB beam with 30 kV and 1 nA was used for the SIMS measurement.