Protochips Poseidon 510 Plays Integral Role in Ground Breaking ORNL Study

Raleigh, NC, March 12, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Poseidon 510 electrochemistry liquid cell was recently featured in a study conducted at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The study is called “Nanoscale Imaging of Fundamental Li Battery Chemistry: Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation and Preferential Growth of Lithium Metal Nanoclusters” and was co-authored by Robert Sacci, Jennifer Black, Nina Balke, Nancy Dudney, Karren More and Raymond Unocic.

The scientists used the Poseidon 510 electrochemical cell to observe dendrite growth in a liquid environment similar to that which is found inside a typical lithium-ion battery. Since lithium dendrite structures degrade lithium-ion batteries, their research is intended to examine the structures’ growth so that inhibition or reduction methods can be developed in the future. In conducting the experiment the scientists applied voltage to the cell in order to stimulate the growth of lithium deposits into dendritic structures. Using the Poseidon system they were able to capture high-resolution images of the phenomenon at the nanoscale.

“This technique allows us to follow subtle nano-sized structural and chemical changes that occur and more importantly, correlate that to the measured performance of a battery,” said Sacci.

The ORNL team believes that their research with benefit scientists who are pursuing different approaches to the issue of lithium dendrite growth.

“If you don’t understand the basic mechanism of why things happen in your devices, you’ll always be thinking, ‘Why did this happen and how do I fix it?’” Unocic said. “Until you get down to the microscopic and nanoscopic level to look at the structural and chemical evolution that’s happening in the cells—then you can’t truly address those issues that come up.”

The study was published online by Nano Letters and ACS on February 23, 2015.