Trapping and imaging dynamic battery nanointerfaces via electrified cryo-EM

Trapping and imaging dynamic battery nanointerfaces via electrified cryo-EM | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Trapping and imaging dynamic battery nanointerfaces via electrified cryo-EM Yuzhang Li, Chongzhen Wang, Jung Tae Kim, Xintong Yuan, Jin Koo Kim, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4920923/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The electrified interface between a liquid and a solid underpins diverse phenomena, from ion-transfer during battery operation to action potentials enabling biological communication. However, conventional tools are blind to the nanoscale dynamics of this metastable interface, leaving key gaps in our understanding. We introduce electrified cryogenic electron microscopy (eCryo-EM), a tool that rapidly freezes and kinetically traps these dynamic states during battery operation for nanoscale imaging. This allows quantification of early-stage growth kinetics of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) that governs battery performance. We discover an ultrathin inorganic layer (<2 nm) within the SEI interior that is found to control ion and electron transport, revising our understanding of battery calendar aging, rate performance, and SEI growth mechanism. Slower growth kinetics of this inner SEI layer correlates with improved battery performance, providing new insight into enhancing the passivation properties of this interior structure. Our work establishes eCryo-EM as a foundational technique to image the electrified liquid-solid interface, which has broad impact spanning electrochemistry and biology. Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical engineering Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis/Batteries Physical sciences/Materials science/Techniques and instrumentation/Microscopy/Cryoelectron microscopy Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupportingInformation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4920923","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":353170648,"identity":"ea08680f-3572-412d-84ed-0c75066031a4","order_by":0,"name":"Yuzhang 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However, conventional tools are blind to the nanoscale dynamics of this metastable interface, leaving key gaps in our understanding. We introduce electrified cryogenic electron microscopy (eCryo-EM), a tool that rapidly freezes and kinetically traps these dynamic states during battery operation for nanoscale imaging. This allows quantification of early-stage growth kinetics of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) that governs battery performance. We discover an ultrathin inorganic layer (\u003c2 nm) within the SEI interior that is found to control ion and electron transport, revising our understanding of battery calendar aging, rate performance, and SEI growth mechanism. Slower growth kinetics of this inner SEI layer correlates with improved battery performance, providing new insight into enhancing the passivation properties of this interior structure. 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