Investigations of Ageing Mechanisms for New High-Energy-Density Battery Materials with X-Ray Spectrometry

XRS, traceable to the International System of Units, enables the quantitative determination of elemental mass depositions on a very large dynamic range that can be used to investigate, for example the transition metal deposition at the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in currently used lithium-Ion batteries (LIBs). [...]even the oxidation state and the species of an element, which plays a major role regarding ageing mechanisms, can be specified with XRS. Given that the ageing processes in the battery are time dependent, reliable analytical operando methods are needed that allow for the correlation of analytical information with the electrochemical performance. [...]the dissolved polysulfides can travel in the electrolyte solution through the cell and the movement between the electrodes is called polysulfide shuttle. Reaching the anode, further damaging effects can occur because of polysulfides undergoing reactions in the negative potentials. [...]polysulfides have to be studied not only on the cathode side but also in the near-anode region.