Surface Characterization of High-Performance Battery Materials—XPS, AES and TOF-SIMS Insights

The development of advanced battery materials relies on a deep understanding of their surface and interface properties. To achieve this, researchers need information about a surface’s physical topography, chemical composition, chemical structure, atomic structure, electronic state, and a description of bonding molecules at the surface. No single technique can provide all these different pieces of information. A comprehensive investigation of a surface will always require several techniques.<br/><br/>This presentation highlights the application of three surface sensitive analysis techniques—X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)—in the characterization of battery materials to offer unparalleled insights into the composition and behavior of materials critical for high-performance batteries.<br/><br/>In addition to the advanced characterization techniques available, modern instrumentation also includes sample handling options such as <i>in situ</i> heating, cooling, and polarization studies to measure how properties change under various operation conditions. This combination is a powerful suite of analytical tools for the development of battery materials, particularly for analyzing anode passivation layers, solid electrolyte interfaces (SEI), and dendrite characterization. Examples illustrating the application of these techniques will be presented, including lithium chemical mapping from all-solid-state battery materials.