Proposing lithium pump mechanism for observing Ag-Li two-phase interface reaction of in-situ Li-O battery by two-step method.

Silver (Ag) plays an important role as a cathode catalyst in lithium-oxygen batteries (Li-O batteries). However, the catalytic mechanism of Ag remains unclear. Despite efforts dedicated to studying interfacial reactions, observing efficient reactions and ion transport at the Ag-Li solid-solid interface continues to be a challenge.

observation of the electrochemical lithiation of a single MnO@C nanorod electrode with core/shell structure.

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) play a crucial role in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity, natural abundance, and benign environmental impact, but they suffer from limitations such as cyclability and high-rate discharge ability. One leading cause is the lithiation-induced volume expansion (LIVE) for "conversion"-type TMOs, which can result in high stress, fracture and pulverization. Using carbon layers is an effective strategy to provide effective volumetric accommodation for lithium-ion (Li) insertion; however, the detailed mechanism is unknown.