Quartz Crystal Microbalance Study of Lithium Deposition and Dissolution in Nonaqueous Electrolyte with Hydrofluoric Acid

The irreversible consumption of lithium during deposition and dissolution in nonaqueous electrolytes with a small amount of hydrofluoric acid was studied by an electrochemical in situ quartz crystal microbalance technique. II was found that lithium is not only consumed by chemical reactions with the electrolyte during deposition, but is also lost during dissolution. This result is strong ly related to breakdown of the surface film formed on lithium during the deposition process. From the experimental data, it is concluded that the stability of the surface film on lithium metal during dissolution is a key requirement for high coulombic efficiency of lithium metal deposition and dissolution, (C) 2000 The Electrochemical Society. S0013-4651(99)12-020-2. All rights reserved.