Deposition and dissolution of copper on a quartz crystal resonator in contact with a separator

Deposition and dissolution of copper were investigated by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique using a Pt-coated quartz crystal resonator in contact with a separator in order to simulate the configuration of practical batteries. The admittance analysis indicated the quartz crystal resonated even in contact with a glass separator impregnated with the electrolyte under pressure. The mass change estimated from the change in the resonance frequency during deposition and dissolution of Cu on a Pt-coated resonator in contact with the separator was linearly related to the passed electric charge and closed to that without the separator, suggesting the mass monitoring according to Saurbrey equation is possible in the presence of the separator on the electrode. The highly sensitive mass monitoring with an overtone resonance was also found to be possible in the presence of the separator using the third harmonic vibration mode.