Oxygen electrochemistry in Li-O2 batteries probed by in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), as a nondestructive and ultra-sensitive single molecular level characterization technique, is a powerful tool to deeply understand the interfacial electrochemistry reaction mechanism involved in energy conversion and storage, especially for oxygen electrochemistry in Li-O-2 batteries with unrivaled theoretical energy density. SERS can provide precise spectroscopic identification of the reactants, intermediates and products at the electrode|electrolyte interfaces, independent of their physical states (solid and/or liquid) and crystallinity level. Furthermore, SERS's power to resolve different isotopes can be exploited to identify the mass transport limitation and reactive sites of the passivated interface. In this review, the application of in situ SERS in studying the oxygen electrochemistry, specifically in aprotic Li-O-2 batteries, is summarized. The ideas and concepts covered in this review are also extended to the perspectives of the spectroelectrochemistry in general aprotic metal-gas batteries.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in studying oxygen electrochemistry, specifically in aprotic Li-O-2 batteries. SERS can provide precise spectroscopic identification of reactants, intermediates, and products at the electrode|electrolyte interfaces, independent of their physical states and crystallinity levels, as well as resolve different isotopes to identify mass transport limitations and reactive sites.