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Lithium nickel oxide (LNO) is an attractive positive electrode active material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high reversible specific capacity and absence of cobalt. Nevertheless, it is prone to structural instabilities that lead to rapid capacity fading, safety concerns and shows in average a lower voltage than mixtures with cobalt, limiting its applicability to date. Herein this study introduces the sulfur‐based electrolyte additive, benzo[d][1,3,2]dioxathiole 2,2‐dioxide (DTDPh), to stabilize the LNO electrode and study its effects on interphase compositions by means of complementary electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Obtained results demonstrate an improved galvanostatic cycling performance in terms of cycle life and achievable specific discharge capacity that significantly outperform the common film‐forming additive vinylene carbonate (VC). The cycle life is increased from 102 to 147 cycles compared to the baseline electrolyte and the accumulated discharge energy until end of life is increased by 45%. This study furthermore provides strong evidence of a significant cross‐talk and negative interplay between DTDPh and VC when both are present in the electrolyte formulation. Mechanistic consideration based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest the formation of mobile poly(VC) species, which is supported by the results of post mortem analysis of the resulting interphases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timely arrival of novel materials plays a key role in bringing advances to society, as the pace at which major technological breakthroughs take place is usually dictated by the discovery rate at which novel materials are identified within chemical space. High‐throughput experimentation and computation strategy, now widely considered as a watershed in accelerating the discovery and optimization of novel materials in virtually every field, enables simultaneous screening, synthesis and characterization of large arrays of different material classes toward identification of the lead candidates for given system and targeted application. However, the ability to acquire data, through the continued advancement of automation platforms and workflows especially in the field of battery research and development, often outpaces the ability to optimally leverage obtained data for improved decision‐making. Closing this gap inevitably calls for adapted algorithms, development of reliable predictive models and enhanced integration with machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence. This Review aims to highlight state‐of‐the‐art achievements along with an assessment of current and future challenges as well as resulting perspectives toward accelerated development of advanced battery electrolytes and their interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the oxidation state of functional materials such as transition metal oxides is a current critical challenge and requires new methodologies to characterize their electronic structure within surface to bulk resolution at the nanometer scale. One approach to this issue is the combination of co‐localized soft and hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies for a non‐destructive depth profiling. In this work, we demonstrate the capability to characterize the oxidation state of cobalt in LiCoO2 thin films, a model electrode material in the Li‐ion battery field, within the first 15 nm. The capability of the methodology to address the surface evolution of the cobalt oxidation state is tested through a proof of concept surface modification introduced by Ar‐ion sputtering. To address the cobalt local electronic structure at different depths from the extreme surface, we exploited Auger‐free Hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) spectra to fit the Co 2p core‐level features in the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. This approach may pave the way for a better understanding of the surface electronic structure changes in transition metal oxides driven by their applications in a broad range of technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of X‐ray beam damage during X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement on LiNiO2 electrodes. The degree of damage induced by lab‐based and synchrotron X‐ray radiation has been compared between pristine and cycled electrodes, highlighting the role of positive solid electrode–electrolyte interphase to protect the cycled LiNiO2 surface from beam damage. The possible steps to avoid or at least reduce the beam‐induced effects are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the continuous search for improving performances, understanding the phenomena at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces has become an overriding factor for the success of sustainable and efficient battery technologies for mobile and stationary applications. Toward this goal, rapid advances have been made regarding simulations/modeling techniques and characterization approaches, including high‐throughput electrochemical measurements coupled with spectroscopies. Focusing on Li‐ion batteries, current developments are analyzed in the field as well as future challenges in order to gain a full description of interfacial processes across multiple length/timescales; from charge transfer to migration/diffusion properties and interphases formation, up to and including their stability over the entire battery lifetime. For such complex and interrelated phenomena, developing a unified workflow intimately combining the ensemble of these techniques will be critical to unlocking their full investigative potential. For this paradigm shift in battery design to become reality, it necessitates the implementation of research standards and protocols, underlining the importance of a concerted approach across the community. With this in mind, major collaborative initiatives gathering complementary strengths and skills will be fundamental if societal and environmental imperatives in this domain are to be met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper/copper oxide (Cu/Cu2O) electrodes are known to display interesting electrocatalytic performances for the reduction of CO2, and thus, deserve further investigation for optimization. Here, we show that the addition of nitrogen- based organic additives greatly improves the activity of these electrodes (higher current densities, greater selectivity, and higher faradaic yields). The best effector is found to be tetramethyl cyclam. For example, electrolysis at -2.0 V versus Fc+/Fc in CO2-saturated DMF/H2O (99:1, v/v) in the presence of this effector results in formic acid with almost 90% faradaic yield. SEM and XPS analysis of the electrode surface reveals that the organic additive promotes the formation of active Cu0 nanoparticles from Cu2O during electrolysis. This simple approach provides a straightforward strategy toward the optimization of Cu/Cu2O electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]