Lithium Metal Dendrite (IMAGE)

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Lithium Metal Dendrite

Caption

This image of a lithium metal dendrite, taken with cryogenic electron microscopy or cryo-EM, shows that freezing has preserved its original state, revealing that it's a crystalline nanowire with six well-defined facets. Dendrites can pierce the barrier between battery chambers and trigger fires; cryo-EM is the first technique that can image them in atomic detail without damaging them.

Credit

Y. Li et al., <i>Science</i>

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