7Li NMR study of intercalated lithium in curved carbon lattices

A device was invented that permits nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the internal elements of a coin cell battery. The Coin Cell Battery Imager was used to record wideline 7Li NMR spectra of the lithium ions that were electrochemically intercalated into three different types of carbon-based materials. The samples included graphite, corannulene, and carbon derived from sepiolite clay. All samples were excised from 2032-size coin cells that were cycled multiple times and left in a discharged state (i.e., fully lithiated). A comparison of the 7Li NMR spectra recorded for the three carbons revealed that the curved carbon lattice derived from sepiolite affected the lithium resonances in a manner similar to that observed for the curved molecule corannulene, while both differed from the flat lattice of graphite. In addition, it was possible to observe lithium dendrites on the surface of a hard carbon electrode even in the presence of a large lithium counter electrode using NMR imaging techniques.