In Situ AFM Imaging of Li–O2 Electrochemical Reaction on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite with Ether-Based Electrolyte

Understanding the lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) electrochemical reaction is of importance to improve reaction kinetics, efficiency, and mitigate parasitic reactions, which links to the strategy of enhanced Li-O2 battery performance. Many in situ and ex situ analyses have been reported to address chemical species of reduction intermediate and products, whereas details of the dynamic Li-O2 reaction have not as yet been fully unraveled. For this purpose, visual imaging can provide straightforward evidence, formation and decomposition of products, during the Li-O2 electrochemical reaction. Here, we present real-time and in situ views of the Li-O2 reaction using electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM). Details of the reaction process can be observed at nano-/micrometer scale on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) electrode with lithium ion-containing tetraglyme, representative of the carbon cathode and ether-based electrolyte extensively employed in the Li-O2 battery. Upon oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), rapid growth of nanoplates, having axial diameter of hundreds of nanometers, length of micrometers, and ~5 nm thickness, at a step edge of HOPG can be observed, which eventually forms a lithium peroxide (Li2O2) film. This Li2O2 film is decomposed during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), for which the decomposition potential is related to a thickness. There is no evidence of byproduct analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) after first reduction and oxidation reaction. However, further cycles provide unintended products such as lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), lithium acetate, and fluorine-related species with irregular morphology due to the degradation of HOPG electrode, tetraglyme, and lithium salt. These observations provide the first visualization of Li-O2 reaction process and morphological information of Li2O2, which can allow one to build strategies to prepare the optimum conditions for the Li-O2 battery.