Watching Whiskers Grow in Lithium Batteries (VIDEO)

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Caption

Researchers at PNNL have captured on video the growth of a harmful structure known as a whisker inside a nanosized lithium metal battery. Lithium ions begun to clump together, forming a particle; the structure grows slowly as more and more lithium atoms glom on, growing the same way that a stalagmite grows from the floor of a cave. Then, suddenly, a whisker shoots forth.

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Video courtesy of He et. al., <em>Nature Nanotechnology</em>

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