Reactive Suspension Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries
Junyoung Lee, Mun Sek Kim, Yi Cui, Yi Cui, Wenbo Zhang, Sanzeeda Baig Shuchi, Sarah E. Holmes, Jun Ho Lee, Chad Serrao, Sang Cheol Kim, John Holoubek, Philaphon Sayavong, Angela Cai, Il Rok Choi, Yi Cui, Yi Cui
Abstract
Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) suffer from dendrite growth and capacity loss, which compromise safety and cycle life. Here, we present a simple reactive suspension electrolyte (RSE) strategy. When metal oxide (MO x ) nanoparticles are dispersed in the liquid electrolyte, in situ formation of Li 2 O and Li–M phases occurs at the lithium metal anode. By studying two different types of RSEs, Type 1 RSEs (i.e., CuO RSE) without metal-Li alloying and Type 2 RSEs (i.e., ZnO RSE and In 2 O 3 RSE) with metal-Li alloying capability, we elucidate the roles of each reaction compound. We find that Li 2 O can improve reversibility of Li metal anode by stabilizing the interphase while Li–M alloy phases guide uniform Li metal plating. Compared to the carbonate-type reference electrolyte, RSEs demonstrate reduced nucleation overpotential, lower interfacial impedance, and higher Coulombic efficiency, leading to an extended cycle life in Li|Li 1 Ni 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 full cells.