Unravelling the room-temperature atomic structure and growth kinetics of lithium metal.

ABSTRACT: Alkali metals are widely studied in various fields such as medicine and battery. However, limited by the chemical reactivity and electron/ion beam sensitivity, the intrinsic atomic structure of alkali metals and its fundamental properties are difficult to be revealed. Here, a simple and versatile method is proposed to form the alkali metals in situ inside the transmission electron microscope. Taking alkali salts as the starting materials and electron beam as the trigger, alkali metals can be obtained directly. With this method, atomic resolution imaging of lithium and sodium metal is achieved at room temperature, and the growth of alkali metals is visualized at atomic-scale with millisecond temporal resolution. Furthermore, our observations unravel the ambiguities in lithium metal growth o

SUBMITTER: Liang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7585417 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature