Speaker
Description
Reversible anode-free solid-state batteries require precise control of alkali-metal nucleation, growth, and dissolution at buried solid-electrolyte/current-collector interfaces, yet these processes remain challenging to probe operando. Here, we introduce virtual-electrode low-energy electron microscopy (VE-LEEM), complemented by PEEM and AFM, for direct nanoscale visualization of anode formation and dissolution. The alkali metal anode is grown (plating) directly onto the solid-state electrolyte driven by the electric charge provided by the LEEM gun (virtual electrode). The process can be reversed (stripping) by the positive charge from the photoemission process under the UV lamp illumination.
We track the early stages of Li and Na plating, showing that both systems converge towards common scaling behavior governed by surface energetics. Stripping proceeds asymmetrically through grain-boundary unzipping and cluster decay. We discuss VE-LEEM studies of ultrathin metallic interlayers and temperature effects, which modify interfacial energetics, diffusion pathways, and growth behavior. These results establish VE-LEEM as a powerful approach for resolving buried interfaces and guiding the design of durable, high-energy solid-state batteries [1].
[1] J. Díaz-Sánchez et al., Nanoscale imaging reveals critical plating and stripping mechanisms in anode-free lithium and sodium solid-state batteries, arXiv:2603.00998 (2026).