Operando monitoring of dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries via ultrasensitive tilted fiber Bragg grating sensors

Xile Han; Hai Zhong; Kaiwei Li; Xiaobin Xue; Wen Wu; Nan Hu; Xihong Lu; Jiaqiang Huang; Gaozhi Xiao; Yaohua Mai; Tuan Guo

doi:10.1038/s41377-023-01346-5

Operando monitoring of dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries via ultrasensitive tilted fiber Bragg grating sensors

Light Sci Appl. 2024 Jan 22;13(1):24. doi: 10.1038/s41377-023-01346-5.

Authors

Xile Han^#¹, Hai Zhong^#², Kaiwei Li^#^{1

3}, Xiaobin Xue^#¹, Wen Wu¹, Nan Hu¹, Xihong Lu⁴, Jiaqiang Huang⁵, Gaozhi Xiao⁶, Yaohua Mai⁷, Tuan Guo⁸

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
² Institute of New Energy Technology, College of Information Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China.
⁴ The Key Lab of Low-Carbon Chemistry & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
⁵ Sustainable Energy and Environment Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Nansha, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 511400, China. seejhuang@ust.hk.
⁶ Advanced Electronics and Photonics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada. george.xiao@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
⁷ Institute of New Energy Technology, College of Information Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China. yaohuamai@jnu.edu.cn.
⁸ Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China. tuanguo@jnu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Lithium (Li) dendrite growth significantly deteriorates the performance and shortens the operation life of lithium metal batteries. Capturing the intricate dynamics of surface localized and rapid mass transport at the electrolyte-electrode interface of lithium metal is essential for the understanding of the dendrite growth process, and the evaluation of the solutions mitigating the dendrite growth issue. Here we demonstrate an approach based on an ultrasensitive tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) sensor which is inserted close to the electrode surface in a working lithium metal battery, without disturbing its operation. Thanks to the superfine optical resonances of the TFBG, in situ and rapid monitoring of mass transport kinetics and lithium dendrite growth at the nanoscale interface of lithium anodes have been achieved. Reliable correlations between the performance of different natural/artificial solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) and the time-resolved optical responses have been observed and quantified, enabling us to link the nanoscale ion and SEI behavior with the macroscopic battery performance. This new operando tool will provide additional capabilities for parametrization of the batteries' electrochemistry and help identify the optimal interphases of lithium metal batteries to enhance battery performance and its safety.