A pseudo-solid-state cell for multiplatform in situ and operando characterization of Li-ion electrodes

In the last decade, reacting Li ion electrodes in situ using vacuum based methods such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has become prevalent for assessing their reaction pathways. However, the vast majority of these studies do not perform electrochemical reactions at potentials relevant to batteries and/or characterize electrolytic reactions. Here we demonstrate a simple and flexible approach combining the benefits of solid and liquid electrolytes to enable diverse in situ characterization methods, including optical imaging, electrical measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. This work demonstrates these methods applied to the novel cell during electrolytic lithiation of the conversion anode ZnO at electrochemically relevant potentials.