EQCM-D as an Effective Tool for Tracking Morphological and Mechanical Changes in Energy Storage and Conversion Electrodes

Electrodes for energy storage and conversion applications are tending to undergo mechanical and morphological changes during ions insertion / adsorption processes. During long time operation or repeated cycling, these changes are accumulated and result in electrode`s degradation and failure.

EQCM-D (electrochemical quartz crystal with dissipation monitoring) can play and important role in tracking and understating of such processes.

Correlating between the electrochemical processes and changes in resonance frequency and energy dumping (dissipation) for different overtone orders (odd numbers from 3^rd to 13^th) provide unique information about the volumetric and mechanic electrochemical-induced changes.

Applying EQCM-D measurements on Ti3C2 electrodes allow us to demonstrate for the first time in-situ quantitative analysis of intercalation-induced viscoelastic changes. The obtained results revealed stiffening of the MXene electrodes during Li intercalation and softening on Li extraction.

This information provides excellent opportunity for theresearches in the energy storage field of mechanical characterization of battery and supercapacitor electrodes, and for the development of QCM-D method as an effective analytical tool for such applications.