Lancaster University researchers have pioneered a technique to observe the 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries for the first time.
The research, published in Nature Communications, is led by Professor Oleg Kolosov from Lancaster's Physics Department in collaboration with University College London and NEXGENNA Faraday Institution Consortium.
The team used a novel 3D Nano-Rheology Microscopy (3DNRM) -based technique to visualize the 3D nanostructure inside rechargeable batteries, from the molecular scale electrical double-layer to the nanoscale-thick electrochemical surface layer on the graphite anode surface in a lithium-ion battery.
For the first time, this enabled the direct observation of the progression of the whole three dimensional structure of the solid electric interface (SEI), a nanoscale passivation layer formed on the battery electrode-electrolyte interface, that predetermines key battery properties.
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