skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Observation of the surface layer of lithium metal using in situ spectroscopy
We have investigated the surface of lithium metal using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and optical spectroscopic ellipsometry. Even if we prepare the surface of lithium metal rigorously by chemical cleaning and mechanical polishing inside a glovebox, both spectroscopic investigations show the existence of a few tens of nanometer-thick surface layers, consisting of lithium oxides and lithium carbonates. When lithium metal is exposed to room air (∼50% moisture), in situ real-time monitoring of optical spectra indicates that the surface layer grows at a rate of approximately 24 nm/min, presumably driven by an interface-controlled process. Our results hint that surface-layer-free lithium metals are formidable to achieve by a simple cleaning/polishing method, suggesting that the initial interface between lithium metal electrodes and solid-state electrolytes in fabricated lithium metal batteries can differ from an ideal lithium/electrolyte contact.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2104296
PAR ID:
10343408
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Applied Physics Letters
Volume:
120
Issue:
21
ISSN:
0003-6951
Page Range / eLocation ID:
211602
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Applied Physics Letters)
    Low resistance non-alloyed ohmic contacts are realized by a metal-first process on homoepitaxial, heavily n+ doped (010) β-Ga2O3. The resulting contacts have a contact resistance (Rc) as low as 0.23 Ω-mm on an as-grown sample and exhibit nearly linear ohmic behavior even without a post-metallization anneal. The metal-first process was applied to form non-alloyed contacts on n+ (010) β-Ga2O3 grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) as well as suboxide molecular beam epitaxy. Identical contacts fabricated on similar MOCVD samples by conventional liftoff processing exhibit highly rectifying Schottky behavior. Re-processing using the metal-first process after removal of the poor contacts by conventional methods does not improve the contacts; however, addition of a Ga-flux polishing step followed by re-processing using a metal-first process again results in low resistance, nearly linear ohmic contacts. The liftoff process, therefore, does not reliably render nearly linear ohmic behavior in non-alloyed contacts. Furthermore, no interface contamination was detected by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This suggests that during the initial liftoff processing, a detrimental layer may form at the interface, likely modification of the Ga2O3 surface, that is not removable during the contact removal process but that can be removed by Ga-flux polishing. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; (, Journal of Applied Physics)
    Reliable nanoswitch operation requires low contact voltages and stable electrical contact resistance (ECR). Surface cleanliness is crucial to prevent nanomechanical switch failure, which can occur due to the presence of insulating adventitious hydrocarbon films. In situ O2 plasma cleaning is effective but oxidizes metal surfaces. Here, the noble metal Pt, which forms PtOx, is employed to form electrodes. Previous studies report on PtOx electrical resistivity, but the effects of PtOx evolution at contacting interfaces due to electrical and mechanical stimuli have not been explored. This study investigates the impact of PtOx on ECR at low contact voltages under hot switching, cold switching, and mechanical cycling conditions. An increase in ECR upon plasma cleaning indicates the presence of a resistive PtOx layer. After hot and cold switch cycling at applied voltages of 300 mV or less, a low stable ECR is achieved. A higher contact voltage accelerates ECR stabilization. The results are consistent with PtOx film volatilization, which is primarily due to Joule heating rather than mechanical rupture. This investigation advances the understanding of interface evolution in plasma-cleaned nanoswitches. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; (, International Journal of Engineering Materials and Manufacture)
    ABSTRACTElectro-chemical polishing (ECP) was utilized to produce sub-micron surface finish on Inconel 718 parts manufactured by Laser Powder-Bed-Fusion (L-PBF) and extrusion methods. The L-PBF parts had very rough surfaces due to semi-welded powder particles, surface defects, and difference layer steps that were generally not found on surfaces of extruded and machined components. This study compared the results of electro-polishing of these differently manufactured parts under the same conditions. Titanium electrode was used with an acid-based electrolyte to polish both the specimens at different combinations of pulsed current density, duty cycle, and polishing time. Digital 3D optical profiler was used to assess the surface finish, while optical and scanning electron microscopy was utilized to observe the microstructure of polished specimens. At optimal condition, the ECP successfully reduced the surface of L-PBF part from 17 µm to 0.25 µm; further polishing did not improve the surface finish due to different removal rates of micro-leveled pores, cracks, nonconductive phases, and carbide particles in 3D-printed Inconel 718. The microstructure of extruded materials was uniform and free of processing defects, therefore can be polished consistently to 0.20 µm. Over-polishing of extruded material could improve its surface finish, but not for the L-PBF material due to defects and the surrounding micro-strain. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; (, Advanced Materials)
    Abstract A dual‐layer interphase that consists of an in‐situ‐formed lithium carboxylate organic layer and a thin BF3‐doped monolayer Ti3C2MXene on Li metal is reported. The honeycomb‐structured organic layer increases the wetting of electrolyte, leading to a thin solid electrolyte interface (SEI). While the BF3‐doped monolayer MXene provides abundant active sites for lithium homogeneous nucleation and growth, resulting in about 50% reduced thickness of inorganic‐rich components among the SEI layer. A low overpotential of less than 30 mV over 1000 h cycling in symmetric cells is received. The functional BF3 groups, along with the excellent electronic conductivity and smooth surface of the MXene, greatly reduce the lithium plating/stripping energy barrier, enabling a dendrite‐free lithium‐metal anode. The battery with this dual‐layer coated lithium metal as the anode displays greatly improved electrochemical performance. A high capacity‐retention of 175.4 mAh g−1at 1.0 C is achieved after 350 cycles. In a pouch cell with a capacity of 475 mAh, the battery still exhibits a high discharge capacity of 165.6 mAh g−1with a capacity retention of 90.2% after 200 cycles. In contrast to the fast capacity decay of pure Li metal, the battery using NCA as the cathode also displays excellent capacity retention in both coin and pouch cells. The dual‐layer modified surface provides an effective approach in stabilizing the Li‐metal anode. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; (, Journal of Applied Physics)
    A number of technological applications and scientific experiments require processes for preparing metal multilayers with electronically and thermally conductive interfaces. We investigate how in situ vs ex situ synthesis processes affect the thermal conductance of metal/metal interfaces. We use time-domain thermoreflectance experiments to study thermal transport in Au/Fe, Al/Cu, and Cu/Pt bilayer samples. We quantify the effect of exposing the bottom metal layer to an ambient environment prior to deposition of the top metal layer. We observe that for Au/Fe, exposure of the Fe layer to air before depositing the top Au layer significantly impedes interfacial electronic currents. Exposing Cu to air prior to depositing an Al layer effectively eliminates interfacial electronic heat currents between the two metal layers. Exposure to air appears to have no effect on interfacial transport in the Cu/Pt system. Finally, we show that a short RF sputter etch of the bottom layer surface is sufficient to ensure a thermally and electronically conductive metal/metal interface in all materials we study. We analyze our results with a two-temperature model and bound the electronic interface conductance for the nine samples we study. Our findings have applications for thin-film synthesis and advance fundamental understanding of electronic thermal conductance at different types of interfaces between metals. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email