Revealing the Electrochemistry of All-Solid-State Li-SeS2 Battery via Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Li-SeS2 batteries balance the opposing and complimentary qualities of Li-S and Li-Se batteries by having a high specific capacity and high electrical conductivity. However, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the electrochemical characteristics of Li-SeS2 all-solid-state batteries (ASSB). Herein, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to reveal the electrochemistry of a Li-SeS2 battery. It is discovered that, without the Polyethylene glycol (PEG), amorphous SeS2 in Li-SeS2 ASSB change into crystalline selenium and a small amount of sulfur. The continuous loss of sulfur from the active material may be related to the failure of the cell at 15 cycles and the severe instability of the Coulombic efficiency. It was found that the PEG coating selenium disulfide graphene composite (PEG@rGO-SeS2) cathode maintained a specific capacity of 258 mAh g−1 and a stable Coulombic efficiency of about 97% after 50 cycles. TEM analysis shows that the charging product remains as a granular amorphous selenium disulfide with a constant Se/S ratio during cycling. The PEG-protected selenium disulfide can effectively limit the loss of elemental sulfur and regulate the reaction mechanism of the Li-SeS2 batteries.