SPACE-CHARGE AT THE LITHIUM-LITHIUM CHLORIDE INTERFACE

The electrical properties of the passive layer formed on lithium as the product of the corrosion reaction in thionyl chloride are discussed in this paper. The passive layer is regarded as a thin layer of an ionic crystal placed between two party blocking electrodes, i.e., lithium and liquid electrolyte. After a short review of thermodynamic properties of the system, a model for description of the electric properties of the static space-charge regions is presented. On this basis, a comment on and partial reinterpretation of impedance measurements of the passive layer is given. The suggested approach leads to the conclusion that the quality of Li/SOCl2 batteries decisively depends on the properties of the lithium passive layer interface. Finally, experiments to confirm the model are suggested.