Tin nitride thin films as negative electrode material for lithium-ion solid-state batteries

Tin nitride thin films have been reported as promising negative electrode materials for lithium-ion solid-state microbatteries. However, the reaction mechanism of this material has not been thoroughly investigated in the literature. To that purpose, a detailed electrochemical investigation of radio-frequency-sputtered tin nitride electrodes of two compositions (1:1 and 3:4) is presented for several layer thicknesses. The as-prepared thin films have been characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical results point out that the conversion mechanism of tin nitride most probably differs from the conversion mechanism usually observed for other oxide and nitride conversion electrode materials. The electrochemical data show that more than 6 Li per Sn atom can be reversibly exchanged by this material, whereas only about 4 are expected. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of the material is discussed, such as electrode cycle life, and a method for improving the cycle life is presented. Finally, thicker films have been characterized by Mössbauer spectroscopy. This technique opens a new route toward determining the conversion reaction mechanism of this promising electrode material. ©2010 The Electrochemical Society