We present a new nanoscale imaging technique based on detecting backscattered ions from a lithium focused ion beam (FIB). Scanning ion microscopes are of general interest as they provide image contrast that differs from scanning electron microscopes (SEM), as has been demonstrated with the traditional gallium FIB and the helium ion microscope [1]. Like helium, the low mass of lithium makes it i...

Liquid carbonate-based electrolytes are widely used in lithium ion batteries today. Dry polymer electrolytes are potential candidates for use in secondary lithium batteries because of ease of fabrication, good electrochemical stability, low flammability and toxicity with the ability to form good interfacial contact with electrodes. Conductivity and mechanical properties of dry electrolytes, how...

Lithium evaporation treatments in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) have shown dramatic improvements in plasma performance increasing the viability of lithium as a Plasma Facing Component (PFC) material. In order to understand the complex system of lithiated ATJ graphite, chemical sputtering measurements of plain and lithiated ATJ graphite are conducted in our upgraded IIAX (Ion Su...

Focused ion beams (FIBs) are an invaluable tool for the creation and observation of materials with nanoscale feature sizes, providing key capabilities in integrated circuit sectioning, critical dimension measurement, and circuit repair. However, ion sources capable of both high brightness and low emittance operation are difficult to realize, with practical sources limited to very few atomic spe...

We present an incisive spectroscopic technique for directly probing redox orbitals based on bulk electron momentum density measurements via high-resolution x-ray Compton scattering. Application of our method to spinel Li_{x}Mn_{2}O_{4}, a lithium ion battery cathode material, is discussed. The orbital involved in the lithium insertion and extraction process is shown to mainly be the oxygen 2p o...

A novel approach for the marking of deposited lithium on graphite anodes from large automotive lithium-ion cells (≥6 Ah) is presented. Graphite anode samples were extracted from two different formats (cylindrical and pouch cells) of pristine and differently aged lithium-ion cells. The samples present a variety of anodes with various states of lithium deposition (also known as plating). A chemic...

The mobility and solvation of lithium ions in electrolytes are crucial for the performance and safety of lithium ion batteries. It has been known that a single type of solvent cannot satisfy the requirements of both mobility and solvation simultaneously for electrolytes. Therefore, complex solvent mixtures have been used to optimize both properties. Here we present the effects of density on the...

A simple and practicable evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method is introduced for the first time to prepare nanosized solid electrolyte Li1.4Al0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3 (LATP) for all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries. A pure Na+ super ion conductor (NASICON) phase is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and its primary particle size is down to 70 nm by optimizing evaporation rate of th...

Magnesium ion based batteries hold promise as a competitive alternative to conventional Lithium ion battery technology due to several key features. Theoretical volumetric capacity for magnesium metal anode is much higher compared to lithium metal. Furthermore, Mg is more readily available compared to Li, which can potentially lead to cost reduction and switching to Mg offers safety benefits ove...