In this review, various studies on the Li depth profiles of metal/electrolyte/metal capacitors and batteries of Au/LCO/LATP/Pt, LCO/LiPON/Si, and LMO/LiPON/NbO with different metal electrodes at both sides (by bias; LCO =LiCoO2, LATP =Li3.1Al0.86Ti1.14Ge1.27P1.73O12, LMO =LiMn2O4, NbO = Nb2O5) using the in-situ reflection ERD (ERD) technique with 9MeV O+4 ion beam and transmission ERD (TERD) technique with 5MeV He+2 ion beam, respectively, are described. For capacitors, the transport fraction of Li-ion in the electrolyte is less than unity. The Li atoms diffuse in the direction opposite to the ion. It has been shown that the batteries are rechargeable. On the other hand, it is observed that an anomalous over-charging takes place when the batteries are over-biased (Si/LiPON/LCO and LMO/LiPON/NbO), and strong reactions of Li with the metal electrodes take place under these conditions. The anomaly observed is explained in terms of the imbalance in the capacities of Li in anode and cathode, which can be attributed to the sizeable amounts of hydrogen present as an impurity during the fabrication of the battery. This is because hydrogen can potentially reduce the capacity of Li in both anode and cathode. The reactions of Li with metal electrodes are discussed in terms of the transport fraction of Li ions (less than unity) and the difference in the work functions of metal electrodes at both sides. Finally, it is noted that the removal of hydrogen in batteries can potentially improve safety, efficiency, and lifetime. These can be achieved by reducing the reaction of Li with metal electrodes. The recoil-scatter method in the TERD technique can measure the Li depth profile in the absence of background yields.
Assessing the potential of ion beam analytical techniques for depth profiling Li in thin film Li ion batteries