%0 Journal Article
%K Electrochemical electrodes
%K Graphite
%K High-speed optical techniques
%K Solid electrolytes
%K Laser beam effects
%K Organic compounds
%K Pyrolysis
%A Vassilia Zorba
%A Jaroslaw S Syzdek
%A Xianglei Mao
%A Richard E Russo
%A Robert Kostecki
%B Applied Physics Letters
%D 2012
%G eng
%N 23
%R 10.1063/1.4724203 
%T Ultrafast laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of electrode/electrolyte interfaces
%V 100
%8 05/2012
%X <p>Direct chemical analysis of electrode/electrolyte interfaces can provide critical information on surface phenomena that define and control the performance of Li-based battery systems. In this work, we introduce the use of <em>ex situ</em> femtosecond laser induced breakdown spectroscopy to probe compositional variations within the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. Nanometer-scale depth resolution was achieved for elemental and molecular depth profiling of SEI layers formed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite electrodes in an organic carbonate-based electrolyte. This work demonstrates the unique ability of ultrafast laser spectroscopy as a highly versatile, light element-sensitive technique for direct chemical analysis of interfacial layers in electrochemical energy storage systems.</p>