Studies of the interfacial properties of an electroplated Sn thin film electrode/electrolyte using in situ MFTIRS and EQCM

Sn thin film electrodes were prepared by electroplating in an acidic sulfate bath containing SnSO4. During charge/ discharge processes, the interfacial properties between a Sn thin film electrode and an electrolyte of 1 mol.L-1 LiPF6 in a mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC)/dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (1:1 vol %) were investigated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), and in situ microscope Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy (in situ MFTIRS). The processes of alloying/dealloying of lithium with Sn and the decomposition of the electrolyte on the Sn electrode were characterized quantitatively by surface mass change and at the molecule level. EQCM studies demonstrated that the mass accumulated per mole of electrons (mpe) was varied in different electrochemical processes. In the process of electrolyte decomposition, the measured mpe is smaller than the theoretical value, whereas it is higher than the theoretical value in the process of alloying/dealloying. The reduction products, ROCO2Li, of the electrolyte involved in charge/discharge processes were determined by in situ MFTIRS. The solvation/desolvation of lithium ion with solvent molecules, which is induced by the alloying/dealloying of lithium with Sn, was evidenced by shifts of relevant IR bands of C=O, C-O, and C-H. The current studies clearly revealed the details of interfacial reactions involved in lithium ion batteries employing a Sn thin film as the anode.