{
  "abstract": "Operando visualization of ultrathin lithium is essential for understanding plating and stripping in lithium-metal batteries, but existing neutron imaging techniques lack sufficient sensitivity for ultra-thin lithium layers formed at crucial early stages. Here we introduce neutron capture imaging (NCI), which selectively detects tritons generated by neutron capture in 6 Li. Ex situ measurements of electrochemically plated and thermally evaporated 6 Li demonstrate sensitivity around 10 nm for a 1.5 h acquisition and two-dimensional imaging with around 100 μm lateral resolution. Simulations indicate that the resolution could approach 25 μm through optical optimization. Operando measurements in an asymmetric Cu|| 6 Li cell reveal spatially heterogeneous lithium plating and stripping in agreement with electrochemical data. Our results establish NCI as a high-sensitivity, near-zero-background tool for operando studies of lithium metal batteries, opening new possibilities for resolving early-stage deposition, dead lithium formation, and interfacial dynamics with broad applicability to ultrathin reactive lithium layers in electrochemical systems.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences",
    "PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences",
    "Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology",
    "Chemical Energy Carriers and Vehicle Systems Laboratory",
    "Institute for Molecular Physical Sciences",
    "ETH Zurich",
    "Niels Bohr Institute",
    "University of Copenhagen"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiaolong Zhang",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-9210-5501"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Leon Skarjan",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3891-1742"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ricardo Carreon",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9527-2890"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jongmin Lee",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9751-0186"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Andreas Borgschulte",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6250-4667"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Thomas J. Schmidt",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1636-367X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Markus Strobl",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9315-8787"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sigita Trabesinger",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5878-300X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Pierre Boillat",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5683-8086"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2nhbk9ngfg9th.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15009867/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "2nhbk9ngfg9th",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009867/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3108|Nuclear Physics and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220369710",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009867/v1",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2nhbk9ngfg9th.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15009867",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009867/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "openalex:3108|Nuclear Physics and Applications",
      "subfield": "applied-instrumentation"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Selective Operando Visualization of Ultrathin Lithium in Li-Metal Batteries by Neutron Capture Imaging",
  "title_text": "Selective Operando Visualization of Ultrathin Lithium in Li-Metal Batteries by Neutron Capture Imaging",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2nhbk9ngfg9th",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}