Stable lithium electrodeposition in liquid and nanoporous solid electrolytes
Rechargeable lithium, sodium and aluminium metal-based batteries are among the most versatile platforms for high-energy, cost effective electrochemical energy storage. Non-uniform metal deposition and dendrite formation on the negative electrode during repeated cycles of charge and discharge are major hurdles to commercialization of energy-storage devices based on each of these chemistries. A long-held view is that unstable electrodeposition is a consequence of inherent characteristics of these metals and their inability to form uniform electrodeposits on surfaces with inevitable defects. Here, we report on electrodeposition of lithium in simple liquid electrolytes reinforced with halogenated salt blends exhibit stable long-term cycling at room temperature, often with no signs of deposition instabilities over hundreds of cycles of charge and discharge and thousands of operating hours. We rationalize these observations with the help of surface energy data for the electrolye/lithium interface and impedance analysis of the interface during different stages of cell operation. Our finding provide support for an important and recent theoretical prediction that the surface mobility of lithium is significantly enhanced in the presence of lithium halide salts. Finally, our results also show that a high electrolyte modulus is unnecessary for stable electrodeposition of lithium.
- Research Organization:
- Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Energy Materials Center at Cornell (EMC2)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0001086
- OSTI ID:
- 1370453
- Journal Information:
- Nature Materials, Vol. 13, Issue 10; Related Information: Emc2 partners with Cornell University (lead); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; ISSN 1476-1122
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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