In Situ Micromorphological Studies of Li Electrodes by Atomic Force Microscopy in a Glove Box System

In situ micromorphological studies of deposition‐dissolution processes by atomic force microscopy (AFM) are reported. The novelty in this study, compared to our previous studies in this field, is that the AFM microscope was placed in a special glove box system. This arrangement allowed us to carry out in situ morphological studies by AFM of highly sensitive systems in a highly inert argon atmosphere and under very quiet, vibration‐free conditions. The performance of anodes in rechargeable batteries depends on the morphology of deposition‐dissolution processes which are usually specific to the electrolyte solution chosen. A typical example of micromorphological phenomena which led to limited cycling efficiency of electrodes is shown. The solution chosen for this demonstration was water contaminated in propylene carbonate.