TY - GEN A1 - Acker, Jörg A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Meinel, Birgit A1 - Sieber, Tim T1 - Saw Damage as an Etch Mask for the Acidic Texturization of Multicrystalline Silicon Wafers T2 - Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing N2 - The surface of multicrystalline silicon solar cells are etched by mixtures of HF, HNO3 and H2SiF6 in order to remove saw damage caused by wafer slicing, as well as to create a water surface topography that provides a low reflectance for incident light, otherwise known as the texture. Topographically analyzing wafer surfaces before and after etching has revealed that the saw damage controls the texturized wafer surface’s final topography.The first key factor is the dimension and magnitude of the plastic stress field introduced by indenting SiC grains into the wafer surface during the wafering process. The second key factor is that lattice-stressed silicon is etched at a higher rate than unstressed bulk silicon. At the wire entrance, side sharp and large SiC grains create the deepest indention pits, and therefore the deepest of the water surface stress fields. The lattice-disturbed silicon inside these pits is etched at a higher rate compared to the pit’s side walls, which are uniformly attacked across the wafer area. Consequentially, existing pits deepen, and these areas generate the wafer’s lowest reflectivity. At the wire exit side, a higher number of smaller and rounder SiC particles indent the surface and create more numerous and shallower indention pits compared to the wire entrance side. The resulting stress field is less deep, so less silicon is removed from inside of these pits during etching compared to the wire entrance side. This yields to a wafer surface region consisting of shallowly etched pits and higher reflectance. It is concluded that the saw damage acts like an etch mask in the texturization of multicrystalline silicon wafers. KW - silicon KW - texturization KW - acidic etching KW - multi-wire sawing KW - stress field KW - confocal microscopy KW - solar cell Y1 - 2018 UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369800117313896 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2017.09.039 SN - 1369-8001 VL - 74 SP - 238 EP - 248 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Acker, Jörg A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Herold, Steven ED - Andresen, Birger ED - Nygaard, Lars ED - Rong, Harry ED - Tangstad, Merete ED - Tveit, Halvard ED - Page, Ingrid Gamst T1 - The impact of lattice strain on the reactivity of silicon T2 - Silicon for the Chemical and Solar Industry XIV N2 - The present study is focused on the question of how lattice strain mechanically introduced into silicon alters the chemical reactivity of the silicon atoms that are affected by the strain field on a microscopic length scale. The magnitude and local distribution of lattice strain are extracted from confocal Raman microscopy measurements. The reactivity of Si is expressed by the etch rate of Si after treatment with HF–HNO3–H2SiF6 mixtures. Then, the local etch rate is calculated from the local etch depth as determined by confocal microscopy. It has been found that tensile strain leads to the highest enhancement of the etch rate, followed by a compressive strain increase in the etch rate. KW - silicon KW - etching KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - lattice strain KW - stress KW - mechanical activation KW - mechanochemistry KW - confocal microscopy Y1 - 2018 SP - 11 EP - 20 PB - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology CY - Trondheim ER - TY - GEN A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - Etching Shapes the Topography of Silicon Wafers: Lattice-Strain Enhanced Chemical Reactivity of Silicon for Efficient Solar Cells T2 - ACS Applied Nano Materials N2 - Multiwire sawing of silicon (Si) bricks is the state-of-the-art technology to produce multicrystalline Si solar wafers. The massive indentation of the abrasive Si carbide or diamond particles used leads to a heavily mechanically damaged layer on the wafer surface. Etching the surface layer using typical HF–HNO3–H2SiF6 acid mixtures reveals an unevenly distributed etch attack with etch rates several times higher than known for bulk Si etching. The present study follows the hypothesis that lattice strain, introduced by the sawing process, leads to an increase of the etch rate and determines the topography of the etched wafer, the so-called texture. Scratches were introduced into single crystalline Si surfaces in model experiments, and the magnitude and local distribution of lattice strain were extracted from confocal Raman microscopy measurements. The essential parameter used to describe the local reactivity of Si is the local etch rate, which was derived by confocal microscopy from the local height before and after etching. It was found that the reactivity of Si increases linearly with the magnitude of lattice strain. An increase in tensile strain raises the reactivity of Si significantly higher than an increase of compressive strain. The second decisive parameter is the reactivity of the etch mixture that correlates with the total concentration of the acid mixtures. Diluted acid mixtures with a low reactivity attack only the highest strained Si, whereas more concentrated and, therefore, more reactive acid mixtures can attack even slightly strained Si. Side effects, such as the behavior of amorphous or nanocrystalline Si and the generation of highly reactive intermediary species while etching, are discussed. The presence of unevenly distributed lattice strain of different magnitude and the resulting unevenly distributed reactivity of Si explain the features of a heterogeneous etch attack observed and the resulting topography of the etched wafer surface. KW - lattice strain KW - silicon KW - Raman microscopy KW - confocal microscopy KW - etching KW - reactivity KW - solar cell KW - mechanochemistry Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.8b00906 VL - 1 IS - 8 SP - 4135 EP - 4144 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Scheschkewitz, David ED - Kickelbick, Guido T1 - Lattice strain controls the etching of solar wafer surfaces T2 - 9th European Silicon Days, 9-12 September 2018, Saarbrücken, Germany, Book of abstracts N2 - Multi-wire sawing using an abrasive SiC slurry or diamond wires constitutes the main slicing techniques for multi- and monocrystalline silicon crystals in photovoltaics. The massive mechanical load during the sawing process creates a wafer surface layer characterized by lattice defects, pits, fractures, rifts, cracks, amorphous Si and even some high-pressure Si modifications, otherwise known as saw damage.[1] This highly defect-rich surface causes the rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs, requiring that it be removed by etching in order to manufacture solar cells and to generate a surface morphology having a low reflectivity which directly affects the solar cell’s efficiency. However, etching of the saw damage features of a heterogeneous and laterally unevenly distributed etch attack and a significantly higher etch rate compared to the underlying bulk silicon.[2,3] The present study is focused on the question of how mechanically introduced lattice strain in single-crystalline silicon alters the chemical reactivity of the silicon atoms affected by the strain field on a microscopic length scale. The magnitude and local distribution of lattice strain were extracted from confocal Raman microscopy measurements according to Ref. 4. One of the parameters used to describe the reactivity of silicon is the local etch rate, which was derived from the local removal before and after etching by confocal microscopy. Wet-chemical etching was performed with HF-HNO3-H2SiF6 acid mixtures of different concentrations. It was found, that the reactivity of silicon increased linearly with the magnitude of lattice strain. In particular, an increase in tensile strain led to a higher increase in reactivity compared to the increase observed with growing compressive strain. The second decisive parameter is the reactivity of the etch mixture. Diluted acid mixtures with a low reactivity attack only the highest strained Si, whereas more concentrated and therefore more reactive acid mixtures are able to attack even slightly strained Si. Side effects, such as the behavior of amorphous or nanocrystalline Si and the generation of highly reactive intermediary species while etching, are discussed. KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - silicon KW - lattice strain KW - etching KW - confocal microscopy Y1 - 2018 SP - S. 201 PB - Universität des Saarlandes CY - Saarbrücken ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Zschech, Ehrenfried T1 - Degradation of Li(Ni₀.₃₃MnCo₀.₃₃)O₂ in the recycling of lithium battery cathodes T2 - 6th Dresden Nanoanalysis Symposium - Abstract Booklet N2 - The compound Li(Ni₀.₃₃Mn₀.₃₃Co₀.₃₃)O₂(NMC) is the state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery cathode material. Due to the increasing demand NMC is of crucial economically importance for the worldwide emerging market of electromobility. Recycling of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to recover NMC, in particular of batteries from automotive vehicles, is one future strategy to save costs and to become more independent from the supply of the essential elements Co and Mn. Several concepts for NMC recycling from lithium-ion batteries are based on wet-chemical process steps, in particular, to separate the NMC containing cathode layer from the underlying metal foil. However, NMC is very sensitive against the attack by water and reagents that are added to promote the separation process. The present study deals with the wet-chemical recycling of NMC using aqueous reagent solutions in a under varying process conditions. The recovered NMC samples are characterized in order to study the ongoing degradation at the surface of the NMC particles. In particular, two major degradation pathways are identified: (i) a preferential loss of lithium and nickel and (ii) the formation of passivation layers due to unwanted side reactions. DRIFT measurements are performed to study the NMC surface species after the recovery processes. SEM/EDX mappings are used to detect changes in the chemical composition in the surface region of the chemically treated NMC particles. Finally, a detailed study of the changes in the chemical state at the NMC particle surface is done by Raman microscopy by means of the deconvolution of the recorded spectra into their A1G component (representing the metal-oxide phonons) and into the Eg component (representing the oxide-metal-oxide phonons). As result of this study, the consequences of different wet-chemical process conditions on the quality of the recovered NMC material are discussed. KW - lithium battery KW - recycling KW - nickel manganese cobalt oxide KW - degradation KW - Raman microscopy KW - chemical analysis Y1 - 2018 UR - https://www.nanoanalytik.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/nanoanalytik/de/documents/6th_Dresden_Nanoanalysis_Symposium_abstracts.pdf SP - S. 52 PB - Fraunhofer IKTS Dresden CY - Dresden ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - Recovery of Li(Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33)O2 from Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes: Aspects of Degradation T2 - Nanomaterials N2 - Nickel–manganese–cobalt oxides, with LiNi0.33Mn0.33Co0.33O2 (NMC) as the most prominent compound, are state-of-the-art cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The growing market for electro mobility has led to a growing global demand for Li, Co, Ni, and Mn, making spent lithium-ion batteries a valuable secondary resource. Going forward, energy- and resource-inefficient pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling strategies must be avoided. We presented an approach to recover NMC particles from spent lithium-ion battery cathodes while preserving their chemical and morphological properties, with a minimal use of chemicals. The key task was the separation of the cathode coating layer consisting of NMC, an organic binder, and carbon black, from the Al substrate foil. This can be performed in water under strong agitation to support the slow detachment process. However, the contact of the NMC cathode with water leads to a release of Li+ ions and a fast increase in the pH. Unwanted side reactions may occur as the Al substrate foil starts to dissolve and Al(OH)3 precipitates on the NMC. These side reactions are avoided using pH-adjusted solutions with sufficiently high buffer capacities to separate the coating layer from the Al substrate, without precipitations and without degradation of the NMC particles. KW - lithium KW - nickel–manganese–cobalt oxide KW - NMC KW - leaching KW - recycling KW - SEM-EDX KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - lithium ion battery Y1 - 2019 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/charact_nano UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/9/2/246 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9020246 SN - 2079-4991 VL - 9 IS - 2 SP - 246 EP - 259 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Vogt, Carla T1 - Direkte Feststoffanalyse von Hauptkomponenten in Kathodenmaterialien von Lithiumbatterien mittels HRCS-GF-AAS T2 - Colloquium Analytische Atomspektroskopie - CANAS 2019, Book of Abstracts N2 - Zur Bestimmung der metallischen Hauptkomponenten in Lithium-Batterie-Kathodenmaterialien ist der nasschemische Aufschluss mit anschließender ICP-OES-Analyse oft das Mittel der Wahl. Da dieses Verfahren jedoch recht zeitaufwendig ist und den Einsatz starker Säuren erfordert, wurde eine Methode zur direkten Feststoffanalyse mittels HRCS-GF-AAS (high resolution continuum source graphit furnace atom absorption spectrometry) nach dem STPF-Konzept (stabilized temperature platform furnace) entwickelt. Die hohen Analytkonzentrationen erfordern dabei die Messung auf den vergleichsweise wenig intensiven Linien Li = 323,2657 nm, Ni = 294,3912 nm, Mn = 321,6945 nm und Co= 243,5823 nm. Zusätzlich wird das Probenmaterial einer Feststoffverdünnung mit matrixverwandten Komponenten unterzogen. Die Verdünnung senkt zum einen die Konzentration und die Gefahr der Verschleppung der Analyten und begünstigt zum anderen die Freigabe des Analyten aus der Probenmatrix. Durch Aufnahme von Extinktions-Zeit-Verläufen im Temperaturbereich von 200 - 2600 °C konnten die Freisetzungstemperaturen für jeden Analyten bestimmt werden. Nach anschließenden Optimierungen der Pyrolyse- und Atomisierungstemperaturen wurde mithilfe der Einzeloxide für jeden Analyten die Linearität des Messsignals geprüft und der Arbeitsbereich festgelegt. Durch Vermessung von variierenden Oxidmischungen und Mischoxiden, sowie Zusatz möglicher weiterer Interferenten, wie dem Bindermaterial PVDF wurden Spezifität, Selektivität und Robustheit der Methode überprüft. Abschließend erfolgte anhand realer Proben (Recyclinggut aus Lithium-Batterie-Kathoden) ein Vergleich zwischen den Ergebnissen der direkten Feststoffanalyse mittels HRCS-GF-AAS und dem bereits etablierten Verfahren der ICP-OES Analyse nach nasschemischem Aufschluss. Nach umfangreicher Methodenentwicklung kann ein Verfahren der direkten Feststoffanalyse von Recylinggut aus Kathodenmaterialien von Lithium-Ionen-Batterien mittels HRCS-GF-AAS bereitgestellt werden, das eine schnelle und präzise Analyse der Hauptkomponenten Li, Ni, Mn und Co erlaubt. KW - continuum source KW - AAS KW - Feststoffanalytik KW - Feststoffstandard KW - Graphitrohr KW - Interferenz KW - NMC KW - Recycling KW - Lithium KW - Batterie Y1 - 2019 UR - https://tu-freiberg.de/en/canas/canas-2019-engl/final-program VL - 2019 SP - S1/4 PB - TU Bergakademie Freiberg CY - Freiberg ET - 1. Auflage ER - TY - GEN A1 - Acker, Jörg A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Ducke, Jana A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Rietig, Anja T1 - Degradation effects on Li(Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33)O2 in the recovery of lithium battery cathodes T2 - Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automobile Applications - ABAA 12, Book of Abstracts N2 - The compound Li(Ni0.33Mn0.33Co0.33)O2 (NMC) is the state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery cathode material. Due to the increasing demand NMC is of crucial economically importance for the worldwide emerging market of electromobility. Recycling of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to recover NMC, in particular of batteries from automotive vehicles, is one future strategy to save costs and to become more independent from the supply of the essential elements Co and Mn. Several concepts for NMC recycling from lithium-ion batteries are based on wet-chemical process steps, in particular, to separate the NMC containing cathode layer from the underlying metal foil. However, NMC is very sensitive against the attack by water and reagents that are added to promote the separation process. The present study deals with the wet-chemical recycling of NMC using aqueous reagent solutions in a under varying process conditions. The recovered NMC samples are characterized in order to study the ongoing degradation at the surface of the NMC particles. In particular, two major degradation pathways are identified: (i) a preferential loss of lithium and nickel and (ii) the formation of passivation layers due to unwanted side reactions. DRIFT measurements are performed to study the NMC surface species after the recovery processes. SEM/EDX mappings are used to detect changes in the chemical composition in the surface region of the chemically treated NMC particles. Finally, a detailed study of the changes in the chemical state at the NMC particle surface is done by Raman microscopy by means of the deconvolution of the recorded spectra into their A1G component (representing the metal-oxide phonons) and into the Eg component (representing the oxide-metal-oxide phonons). As result of this study, the consequences of different wet-chemical process conditions on the quality of the recovered NMC material are discussed. KW - lithium ion battery KW - recycling KW - NMC KW - electromobility KW - degradation KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - cathode Y1 - 2019 SP - 28 PB - Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg CY - Ulm ET - 1. Auflage ER - TY - GEN A1 - Meißner, André A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Acker, Jörg ED - Andresen, Birger ED - Rong, Harry ED - Tangstad, Merete ED - Tveit, Halvard ED - Page, Ingrid T1 - Lattice strain and phase transformations in silicon introduced by the precipitation of Cu3Si T2 - Silicon for the Chemical and Solar Industry XV N2 - The reaction of Si with CuCl was studied by a combination of Raman microscopy, confocal microscopy and SEM-EDX. Two reaction pathways were observed to proceed at the same time. The first one is a solid state reaction between Si and Cu or CuCl that leads to a massive nucleation of Cu3Si exactly at the interfacial contacts between CuCl and Si. This study shows how the presence of the Cu3Si phase can be clearly identified and distinguished from areas simply covered with copper by means of Raman microscopic measurements. The second reaction pathway identified proceeds via a short-range gas phase transport of CuCl at low temperatures. The immediate reaction of the transported CuCl to the Si surface causes the massive spread of Cu in the close neighborhood around the CuCl source particles, however, without a nucleation of Cu3Si. The nucleation of Cu3Si precipitates and the short-range transport of CuCl have a tremendous impact on the underlying Si matrix. Tensile- and compressive-strained Si are generated in the immediate vicinity of the precipitates and at their interface to the surrounding silicon. Indications of high-pressure modifications of Si were found. Those areas of the Si surface which are affected by the short-range transport of CuCl and covered with low concentrations of copper exhibit a significant tensile strain. As recently shown, tensile and compressive strain in Si have a significant impact on the reactivity of Si. It might be assumed that Cu3Si-induced lattice strain in Si affects the reactivity of Si in the Direct Reactions in a similar matter. KW - silicon KW - direct synthesis KW - copper silicide KW - cuprous chloride KW - Raman KW - lattice strain KW - reactivity Y1 - 2020 SN - 978-82-997357-9-7 SP - 47 EP - 56 PB - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology CY - Trondheim ER - TY - GEN A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - Studies on the deposition of copper in lithium-ion batteries during the deep discharge process T2 - Scientific Reports N2 - End-of-life lithium-ion batteries represent an important secondary raw material source for nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium compounds in order to obtain starting materials for the production of new cathode material. Each process step in recycling must be performed in such a way contamination products on the cathode material are avoided or reduced. This paper is dedicated to the first step of each recycling process, the deep discharge of lithium-ion batteries, as a prerequisite for the safe opening and disassembling. If pouch cells with different states of charge are connected in series and deep-discharged together, copper deposition occurs preferably in the cell with the lower charge capacity. The current forced through the cell with a low charge capacity leads, after lithium depletion in the anode and the collapse of the solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) to a polarity reversal in which the copper collector of the anode is dissolved and copper is deposited on the cathode surface. Based on measurements of the temperature, voltage drop and copper concentration in the electrolyte at the cell with the originally lower charge capacity, the point of dissolution and incipient deposition of copper could be identified and a model of the processes during deep discharge could be developed. KW - lithium ion battery KW - discharge KW - continuum source AAS KW - REM-EXD KW - recycling Y1 - 2021 UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-85575-x U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85575-x SN - 2045-2322 IS - 11 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Klepel, Olaf A1 - Utgenannt, Stephan A1 - Vormelchert, Carolin A1 - König, Mark A1 - Meißner, André A1 - Hansen, Felix A1 - Bölte, Jens-Henning Ingo Holger A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Heinemann, Robert A1 - Bron, Michael A1 - Rokicinska, Anna A1 - Jarczewski, Sebastian A1 - Kustrowski, Piotr T1 - Redox catalysts based on amorphous porous carbons T2 - Microporous Mesoporous Materials Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2021.111257 SN - 1387-1811 VL - 323 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Dommaschk, Maria A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - Lithium-ion batteries: direct solid sampling for characterisation of black mass recyclates using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry T2 - Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry N2 - A straightforward, efficient and robust method was developed in this study to analyse the metal content of complex recyclates from cathode coatings (LiNixMnyCo1−x−yO2) recovered from spent lithium-ion batteries. KW - lithium ion battery KW - graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry KW - inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry KW - cathode material KW - chemical analysis KW - recycling Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4JA00207E SN - 0267-9477 VL - 39 IS - 10 SP - 2522 EP - 2531 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) ER - TY - GEN A1 - Langner, Thomas A1 - Sieber, Tim A1 - Rietig, Anja A1 - Merk, Virginia A1 - Pfeiffer, Lutz A1 - Acker, Jörg T1 - A Phenomenological and Quantitative View on the Degradation of Positive Electrodes from Spent Lithium-ion Batteries in Humid Atmosphere T2 - Scientific Reports N2 - The present study deals with the phenomenological observation of the corrosion of the positive electrode foil of lithium-ion batteries containing LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NMC) as cathode material. Due to the presence of moisture, localized water accumulation is formed on the NMC surface. The water absorbed by the electrolyte reacts with the NMC under Li+/H+ exchange and the resulting pH increase leads to dissolution of the carrier foil and characteristic salt-like blooms on the NMC surface. With the increase in the relative area occupied by the holes in the aluminum foil per time, a sufficiently suitable parameter was found with which to quantitatively determine the extent of corrosion. The degree of degradation depends on time and ambient humidity. It was shown that functional recycling with the water jet method is no longer applicable for degraded foils, since the mechanical stability of the foils decreases as corrosion progresses. Lithium, aluminum, sulfur and oxygen were detected in the blooms using SEM–EDX and Laser-Induced-Breakdown-Spectroscopy (LIBS). The underlying NMC layer was found to contain mainly aluminum and significantly lower lithium content than the non-degraded material. SEM and Raman microscopy analyses also showed that the active material is also locally degraded and therefore no longer suitable for functional recycling. KW - Analytical chemistry KW - lithium KW - cathode KW - materials KW - LIBS KW - Raman KW - SEM-EDX KW - degradation Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32688-0 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 ER -