Issue 48, 2022

Electron passivation in CaF2 on calcium metal anodes

Abstract

Current electrolytes in calcium-ion batteries suffer from a lack of stability and degradation caused by reduction from the anode. The solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) that forms on the anodes during operation stems the flow of electrons from the anode to the electrolyte. CaF2 is a common inorganic compound found in the SEI, and is derived from electrolyte salts such as Ca(PF6)2. CaF2 can exist in crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous phases in the SEI, and as recent work has shown, different phases of the same compound can have vastly different electronic conductivities. Using the non-equilibrium Green's function technique with density functional theory (NEGF-DFT), we find that amorphous phase systems enhance electron tunneling in thin CaF2 films by 1–2 orders of magnitude when compared to crystalline and polycrystalline CaF2 systems. Transport through several amorphous structures was considered showing that, despite their random structures, their conductance properties are similar. Through analysis of the decay constant β and the low-bias conductance of each system, we show that crystalline and polycrystalline CaF2 offer greater protection of the electrolyte than amorphous CaF2.

Graphical abstract: Electron passivation in CaF2 on calcium metal anodes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 May 2022
Accepted
23 Nov 2022
First published
26 Nov 2022

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022,24, 29579-29585

Author version available

Electron passivation in CaF2 on calcium metal anodes

K. Batzinger and M. Smeu, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022, 24, 29579 DOI: 10.1039/D2CP02274E

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