Using our in situ TEM nanomanipulation biasing holder, researchers at Toyota Research Institute of North America and the University of Pennsylvania devised an experiment in which air-sensitive lithium metal is brought in contact with novel solid-based electrolytes to observe the mechanism that would enable the next-generation solid-state battery applications.  The researcher observed degradation and delamination of lithium metal when reacted against lithium thiophosphate electrolyte. However, when the same electrolyte is doped with lithium iodide, the doping plays a protective role and prevents such degradation, and improves lithium cycling capacity. The operando observation in TEM using our nanomanipulation holder can help accelerate further discoveries to lead to better batteries. The work was reported in the prestigious journal, Chemistry of Materials.

Reference: Nikhilendra Singh, James P. Horwath, Patrick Bonnick, Koji Suto, Eric A. Stach, Tomoya Matsunaga, John Muldoon, and Timothy S. Arthur. Role of Lithium Iodide Addition to Lithium Thiophosphate: Implications beyond Conductivity. Chemistry of Materials (2020).  Full paper

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