Electronic Transport in Lithiated Iron and Bismuth Fluoride

Abstract

Metal networks are formed during the lithiation of metal fluorides. Previous reports indicate that these networks are bi-continuous with the possibility to support electronic transport, though no quantitative analysis has been performed. In this study, thin films of FeF<sub>2</sub> and BiF<sub>3</sub> were chemically lithiated using n-butyllithium to form these metal networks. Direct current (DC) polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were utilized to find electronic conductivity and results were compared to their pure metals. Here, the results indicate films to have higher than expected conductivity value which indicates that these metal networks support electronic transport during lithiation.