Modified Coin Cells for In situ Raman Spectroelectrochemical Measurements of Li x V 2 O 5 for Lithium Rechargeable Batteries

In situ Raman spectroscopy is an extremely valuable technique for investigating fundamental reactions that occur inside lithium rechargeable batteries. However, specialized in situ Raman spectroelectrochemical cells must be constructed to perform these experiments. These cells are often quite different from the cells used in normal electrochemical investigations. More importantly, the number of cells is usually limited by construction costs; thus, routine usage of in situ Raman spectroscopy is hampered for most laboratories. This paper describes a modification to industrially available coin cells that facilitates routine in situ Raman spectroelectrochemical measurements of lithium batteries. To test this strategy, in situ Raman spectroelectrochemical measurements are performed on Li//V₂O₅ cells. Various phases of Li _x V₂O₅ could be identified in the modified coin cells with Raman spectroscopy, and the electrochemical cycling performance between in situ and unmodified cells is nearly identical.