Stable Lithium Plating and Stripping Enabled by a LiPON Nanolayer on PP Separator
Yuncong Pang, Min Guan, Yilan Pan, Mao Tian, Kai Huang, Chunzhi Jiang, Andrew Xiang, Xinquan Wang, Yongji Gong, Yong Xiang, Xiaokun Zhang
Abstract
Abstract The practical application of the Li metal anode (LMA) is hindered by its low coulombic efficiency and dendrite formation. Although solid‐state electrolytes hold promise as ideal partners for LMA, their effectiveness is limited by the poor workability and ionic conductivity. Herein, a modified separator combining the rapid Li + transport of a liquid electrolyte and the interfacial stability of a solid‐state electrolyte is explored to realize stable cycling of the LMA. A conformal nanolayer of LiPON is coated on a polypropylene separator by a scalable magnetron sputtering method, which is compatible with current Li‐ion battery production lines and promising for the practical applications. The resulting LMA–electrolyte/separator interface is Li + ‐conductive, electron‐insulating, mechanically and chemically stable. Consequently, Li|Li cells maintain stable dendrite‐free cycling with overpotentials of 10 and 40 mV over 2000 h at 1 and 5 mA cm ‐2 , respectively. Additionally, the Li|LiFePO 4 full cells achieve a capacity retention of 92% after 550 cycles, confirming its application potential.