Investigating surface morphology and cracking during lithiation of Al anodes

Omid Gooranorimi; Ali Ghahremaninezhad; Omid Gooranorimi; Ali Ghahremaninezhad

doi:10.3934/matersci.2016.4.1632

AIMS Materials Science

2016, Volume 3, Issue 4: 1632-1648. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2016.4.1632

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Research article

Investigating surface morphology and cracking during lithiation of Al anodes

Omid Gooranorimi ,
Ali Ghahremaninezhad ^,

Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, United States

Received: 25 September 2016 Accepted: 15 November 2016 Published: 28 November 2016

This paper examines morphology and crack formation in Al anodes during lithiation. The morphological evolution during the lithiation of Al foils was studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was utilized to evaluate the structural changes, and the uniaxial tensile test was employed to study the mechanical properties of lithiated Al. It was observed that the lithiation of Al consisted of nucleation and growth of LiAl nodules on the surface and their columnar growth in the thickness direction. Cracks were observed to initiate near the nodule peak and at the boundary between nodules. The effect of charge rate on the crystallite size and surface nodule size of LiAl is discussed. It was found that the stiffness and fracture strength of LiAl were lower than those of pristine Al.
- lithiation; Al anodes; cracks; nodules; SEM microscopy
Citation: Omid Gooranorimi, Ali Ghahremaninezhad. Investigating surface morphology and cracking during lithiation of Al anodes[J]. AIMS Materials Science, 2016, 3(4): 1632-1648. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2016.4.1632

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Abstract

This paper examines morphology and crack formation in Al anodes during lithiation. The morphological evolution during the lithiation of Al foils was studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was utilized to evaluate the structural changes, and the uniaxial tensile test was employed to study the mechanical properties of lithiated Al. It was observed that the lithiation of Al consisted of nucleation and growth of LiAl nodules on the surface and their columnar growth in the thickness direction. Cracks were observed to initiate near the nodule peak and at the boundary between nodules. The effect of charge rate on the crystallite size and surface nodule size of LiAl is discussed. It was found that the stiffness and fracture strength of LiAl were lower than those of pristine Al.

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