AUTHOR=Legerstee W. J. , Boekel M. , Boonstra S. , Kelder E. M. 

TITLE=Scanning Probe Microscopy Facility for Operando Study of Redox Processes on Lithium ion Battery Electrodes

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.505876

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2021.505876

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is combined with a special designed glovebox system and coupled to a Galvanostat/Potentiostat. An open cell design with electrical contacts makes it possible to reach the electrode surface with the cantilever so as to perform measurements during battery operation. 

A combined AFM-Scanning Electro-Chemical Microscopy (AFM-SECM) approach makes it possible to simultaneously obtain topological information and electrochemical activity. To obtain redox reactions between the probe and sample, various techniques have been developed to provide the tip of the probe with lithium through which the probe can be used as an active electrode in the cell. The amount of lithium applied to the tip was measured by determining the shift of the resonance frequency. A FEM-based probe model has been used to simulate this shift due to mass change.

Initial measurements show that we are able to follow ion currents between tip and sample and perform an electrochemical impedance analysis.