On-chip electrochemistry: A nanofabricated platform for single nanowire battery electrochemistry

Abstract

This effort focuses on nanofabricated devices that can be employed to probe the electrochemical behavior of individual nanowires (NWs) as lithiumion battery electrodes. The hybrid fabrication approach involves synergistic integration of bottom-up (dielectrophoresis) and top-down (silicon nanomachining) manufacturing processes. The structure lends itself to characterizing the electrical and structural transformations induced within individual nanowires during battery processes. Furthermore, the platforms are engineered to be compatible with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Advanced in-situ spectroscopic tools such as electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) provide further insights into the atomic-to-nanoscale structural changes in low-dimensional nanostructures associated with lithium insertion.