Craig Schwartz (Nevada Extreme Conditions Laboratory) published an article, "," in the journal Nature Materials.
Solid-state electrolytes overcome many challenges of present-day lithium ion batteries, such as safety hazards and dendrite formation. However, detailed understanding of the involved lithium dynamics is missing due to a lack of in operando measurements with chemical and interfacial specificity. Leveraging the surface sensitivity of extreme-ultraviolet-second-harmonic-generation spectroscopy, we obtained a direct spectral signature of surface lithium ions, showing a distinct blueshift relative to bulk absorption spectra. Our calculations further suggest a reduction in lithium interfacial mobility due to suppressed low-frequency rattling modes, which is the fundamental origin of the large interfacial resistance in this material.
