Nondestructive High-Sensitivity Detections of Metallic Lithium Deposited on a Battery Anode Using Muonic X-rays

Abstract

Metallic Li deposited on the anode is known to induce short circuiting and degradation of the charge capacity of Li-ion batteries. However, no reliable technique is currently available to observe such Li metal without removing the case of the battery. An elemental analysis using muonic X-rays is proposed here because of its unique properties of nondestructive measurement, high sensitivity to light elements, and depth resolution. We demonstrated that this technique can be applied to detection of Li deposited on the surface of an anode containing Li ions, using a fully charged anode with Li deposited due to overcharge in an Al-laminated plastic pouch. The basis for the detection method is the difference in the atomic Coulomb capture ratio of the negative muons between the Li metal and ions. We have found, as a result, that the intensity of the muonic X-rays from metallic Li was approximately 50 times higher than that from Li ions. Consequently, the Li metal on the anode was clearly distinguishable from the intercalated Li ions in the anode. Furthermore, measurements of two overcharged anodes with 1.3 and 2.7 mg of metallic Li deposition, respectively, indicated that this technique is suitable for quantitative analysis. Distribution analysis is also possible, as shown by a preliminary observation on an overcharged anode from the back side. Therefore, this technique offers a new approach to the analysis of Li deposited on the anode of a Li-ion pouch battery.

Metallomics in Multidisciplinary Research and the Analytical Advances

“…Their merits include being nondestructive and sensitive to light elements and depth analysis, and they have been used to detect Li in Li-ion batteries. 41 Cells are the basic structural and functional units of living organisms. Owing to the heterogeneity and diversity of individual cells, single-cell analysis is of great importance.…”

Characterization of a Continuous Muon Source for the Non-Destructive and Depth-Selective Elemental Composition Analysis by Muon Induced X- and Gamma-rays

“…[15][16][17] used Muon Induced X-ray Emission (MIXE), while the Ref. [18] used Muonic Atom X-ray Spectroscopy (MAXRS); all of which describe the same technique), a non-destructive technique, which was developed more than 40 years ago [14,[19][20][21], has recently been used extensively with pulsed muon beams for elemental analysis [16,18,[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. The advantage of this technique is that it is able to probe deep into the material, up to a few millimeters, and does not lead to a severe radiation damage of the sample.…”

Development of an Electrochemical Cell for In Operando Characterization of Lithium/Electrolyte Interface Using X‐Ray Total Reflection

“…Extensive research has been conducted to clarify the properties of the electrode/electrolyte interface, including composition, morphology, mechanical properties, and atomiclevel structure. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] It has been reported that the thickness of the SEI is about 20 nm and its main components are Li compounds including constituent elements of the electrolyte, such as LiF, LiOH, and Li 2 CO 3 . [14][15][16][17][18] In addition, Sacci et al reported that SEI is about twice as dense as the electrolyte on the basis of the results of in situ electrochemical scanning transmission electron microscopy (ec-S/TEM).…”