Direct Detection of Lithium Exchange across the Solid Electrolyte Interphase by ⁷Li Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer

Lithium metal anodes offer a huge leap in the energy density of batteries, yet their implementation is limited by solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and dendrite deposition. A key challenge in developing electrolytes leading to the SEI with beneficial properties is the lack of experimental approaches for directly probing the ionic permeability of the SEI. Here, we introduce lithium chemical exchange saturation transfer (Li-CEST) as an efficient nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approach for detecting the otherwise invisible process of Li exchange across the metal–SEI interface. In Li-CEST, the properties of the undetectable SEI are encoded in the NMR signal of the metal resonance through their exchange process. We benefit from the high surface area of lithium dendrites and are able, for the first time, to detect exchange across solid phases through CEST. Analytical Bloch-McConnell models allow us to compare the SEI permeability formed in different electrolytes, making the presented Li-CEST approach a powerful tool for designing electrolytes for metal-based batteries.