Monitoring the mechanical properties of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) using electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation

Stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) has been well established to be critical for the reversible operation of Li (ion) batteries, yet our understanding of its mechanical properties currently remains incomplete. Here, we used an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance combined with dissipation monitoring (EQCM-D) to investigate SEI formation. By quantitatively estimating in-situ, the change in mass, shear modulus, and viscosity of the SEI, we show that the SEI formation in propylene carbonate (PC)- and ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate (EC/DEC)-based electrolytes involves the growth of a rigid layer followed by a viscoelastic layer, whereas a distinct one-layer rigid model is applicable to the SEI formulated in tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME)-based electrolyte. With the continuous formation of the SEI, its shear modulus decreases accompanied by an increase in viscosity. In TEGDME, the lightest/thinnest SEI (mass lower than in PC by a factor of nine) yet having the greatest stiffness (more than five times that in PC) is obtained. We attribute this behavior to differences in the chemical composition of the SEIs, which have been revealed by tracking the mass-change-per-mole-of-electron-transferred using EQCM-D and further confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. (C) 2020 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The mechanical properties of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in lithium ion batteries are found to vary depending on the electrolyte conditions, which is attributed to differences in chemical composition.