Lithium, diffusion

Figure 8.14 Huggins analysis of a Warburg element in a Nyquist plot such as that shown in Figure 8.12(a), for the diffusion of Li" ions through solid-state WO3. The traces for Z and Z" against will not be parallel for features other than that of the Warburg. From Ho, C., Raistrick, I. D. and Huggins, R. A., Application of AC techniques to the study of lithium diffusion in tungsten trioxide thin films , J. Electrochem. Soc., 127, 343-350 (1980). Reproduced by permission of The Electrochemical Society, Inc.

Combining the above evidences, Huang et al. further concluded that the improvement in the low-temperature performances of lithium ion cells would eventually rely on the effort to develop anode materials of high lithium diffusion coefficients instead of the electrolytes and SEI that were less resistant. 

Fan specifically excluded the role of i ct when he made the identification, and his major arguments were based on the summary and interpretation of the previously published data on lithium diffusion coefficients in both the cathode and anode and the fact that the surface area of the cathode is normally only a fraction of the anode. Without data from direct measurement, the above speculation seems to be premature hence, further experimental confirmation is needed. 

Jambon A. and Semet M.P. (1978) Lithium diffusion in silicate glasses of albite, orthoclase, and obsidian compositions an ion-microprobe determination. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 37, 445-450. 

Garau C, Frontera A, Quinonero D, Costa A, Ballester P, Deya PM. Ab initio investigations of lithium diffusion in single-walled carbon nanotubes. Chem Phys 2004 297 85-91. 

There are reports that the surface chemistry of Li alloys is indeed largely modified, compared with Li metal electrodes [303], It appears that they are less reactive with solution species, as is expected. The morphology of Li deposition on Li alloys may also be largely modified and smooth, compared with Li deposition on Li substrates [302,304], A critical point in the use of Li alloys as battery anodes is the lithium diffusion rates into the alloys. Typical values of Li diffusion coefficient into alloys are 3-LiAl —> 7 16 9 cm2/s [305], Li44Sn —> 2 10 9 cm2/s [306], LiCd and LiZn —> 1010 cm2/s [307], It should be emphasized that it is very difficult to obtain reliable values of Li diffusion coefficient into Li alloys, and thus the above values provide only a rough approximation for diffusion rates of Li into alloys. However, it is clear that Li diffusion into Li alloys is a slow process, and thus is the rate-limiting process of these electrodes. Li deposition of rates above that of Li diffusion leads to the formation of a bulk metallic lithium layer on the alloy s surface which may be accompanied by mas-... 

Recently, it was reported by Pyun et al. thatthe CTs of transition metal oxides such as Lii 8CoO2 [14,77-79], l i,, AiO. [11,12], Li, sMii.O [17,80,81], Lij + 8[Ti5/3Lii/3]O4 [11, 28], V2O5 [11, 55] and carbonaceous materials [18, 82-84] hardly exhibit a typical trend of diffusion-controlled lithium transport - that is, Cottrell behavior. Rather, it was found that the current-potential relationship would hold Ohm s law during the CT experiments, and it was suggested that lithium transport at the interface of electrode and electrolyte was mainly limited by internal cell resistance, and not by lithium diffusion in the bulk electrode. This concept is referred to as cell-impedance-controlled lithium transport. 

The potentiostatic current transient (PCT) technique has been known as the most popular method to understand lithium transport through an intercalation electrode, based on the assumption that lithium diffusion in the electrode is the rate-determining process of lithium intercalation/deintercalation [45]. By solving Eick s second equation for planar geometry with I.C. in Equation (5.28), impermeable B.C. in Equation (5.29), and potentiostatic B.C. 

---