Properties of a passivating film on the surface of lithium electrodes

✍ Scribed by V.E. Kazarinov; V.S. Bagotzky

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 328 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0378-7753
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-7753(87)80121-0

✦ Synopsis

The properties of the primary passivation film formed on a lithium electrode in a solution of LiA1C14 in thionyl chloride are described. The thickness of the film grows rapidly to 1 -1.5 nm during the first few hours after contact of the lithium with the electrolyte, and then becomes -5 nm after a certain period of time. The film has a continuous, not obviously crystalline, structure, and its conductivity for lithium ions has a semiconductor nature that is determined by the presence of defects in the crystal. The film exhibits a p-type electronic conductivity that is caused by electron holes as the minority current carriers, and its presence leads to the further growth of a continuous film. The decrease in the concentration of the minority carriers in the bulk of the film during exposure of the electrode to the solution can be associated with slow structure-ordering processes. The formation of a thick, crystalline secondary film after long electrode exposure hinders mass transfer in the solution. layers adjacent to the electrode and preserves the primary film.