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This electrode is best served cold—a reversible electrochemical lithiation of a gray cubic tin

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Abstract

The behavior of a cubic allotropic modification of tin (α-Sn) towards lithium electrochemical alloying/de-alloying is reported for the first time. The cycling stability of the α-Sn electrode is superior compared with the cycling stability of the tetragonal white tin (β-Sn). Scanning electron microscopy studies reveal that unlike β-Sn, the α-Sn crystal grains preserve their integrity during the lithiation/delithiation cycles. The shift in the charge/discharge potential stages in the α-Sn electrode with reference to the β-Sn electrode is demonstrated. The potential shift is discussed in terms of differences in the elastic stress—the related component of Gibbs energy of β- and α-Sn lithiation/delithiation processes.

A cubic allotropic modification of tin (α-Sn) towards lithium electrochemical alloying/de-alloying represents a superior cycling stability compared with a tetragonal white tin (β-Sn)

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Funding

This work is supported by the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council of High Education and the Prime Minister Office of Israel in the framework of the INREP project and by Grand Energy Technion Program (GTEP) and Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP), Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel

    Alexander Kraytsberg, Nina Seizin & Yair Ein-Eli

Authors
  1. Alexander Kraytsberg
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  2. Nina Seizin
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  3. Yair Ein-Eli
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Contributions

The manuscript was written through the contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yair Ein-Eli.

Additional information

Alexander Kraytsberg and Yair Ein-Eli contributed equally to this work.

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Kraytsberg, A., Seizin, N. & Ein-Eli, Y. This electrode is best served cold—a reversible electrochemical lithiation of a gray cubic tin. J Solid State Electrochem 22, 3303–3310 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-018-3983-2

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