Grain‐Boundary‐Rich Artificial SEI Layer for High‐Rate Lithium Metal Anodes

Abstract

The sluggish lithium diffusion at the electrode/electrolyte interface is one of the main obstacles to achieve superior rate capability of Li metal anodes for rechargeable batteries. Herein, a dense and uniform inorganic solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer composed of ZrO 2 , Li 2 O, Li 3 N, and LiN x O y is constructed on the surface of Li metal via the spontaneous reaction between Li metal and zirconyl nitrate (ZrO(NO 3 ) 2 ) solution in dimethyl sulfoxide. The abundant grain boundaries in the artificial SEI created by the multicomponent enable the rapid diffusion of Li ions at the interface. As a result, the Li metal anode treated with zirconyl nitrate (LiZrO(NO 3 ) 2 @Li) delivers a stable cycle performance of over 550 h at a high current density of 10 mA cm −2 and a high areal capacity of 10 mAh cm −2 . When paired with a high-loading LiCoO 2 cathode (19 mg cm −2 ), the LiZrO(NO 3 ) 2 @Li anode shows much enhanced rate performance and long-term cycle stability without Li dendrite formation. The construction of an inorganic SEI layer with a high density of grain boundary provides new insights for the design of high-rate and dendrite-free Li metal anodes for high-energy-density batteries.

Li2CO3/LiF‐Rich Heterostructured Solid Electrolyte Interphase with Superior Lithiophilic and Li+‐Transferred Characteristics via Adjusting Electrolyte Additives

“…[9][10][11] Therefore, high-quality SEI is highly desired for superior LMBs.Recently, extensive efforts have been devoted to stabilizing Li anode by engineering a robust SEI mainly through electrolyte formulation [12][13][14][15][16] and artificial SEI. [17][18][19][20] However, the role of the structures and components of SEI has long been debated, and the transport mechanism of Li + ions in the SEI is still not well understood. [21] Theoretically, an ideal SEI layer should have high ionic conductivity to ensure a fast Li + transport across the SEI, and a good electron insulator to prevent electron tunneling from the Li anode to the SEI, [21][22][23] which can ensure the Li deposition occurred at the SEI/Li interface.…”

FEC Additive for Improved SEI Film and Electrochemical Performance of the Lithium Primary Battery

“…As shown in Figure 6a, the surface of the original fresh Li foil is composed of some agglomerated particles. Figure 6b shows that the surface of the Li anode disassembled from the RT-1D battery is covered by some small particles formed by the decomposition of electrolyte, indicating that the SEI layer formed on the Li anode surface without the additive is not uniform and compact [33]. In contrast, the surface of the lithium anode from the 5% FEC-RT-1D battery is composed of far smaller particles and became far more uniform and denser, as shown in Figure 6c.…”

Recent Advances in Solid-Electrolyte Interphase for Li Metal Anode

“…The continuous growth of lithium dendrites could be inhibited by a SEI layer with superior mechanical strength. Therefore, inorganic SEI layers could inhibit the lithium dendrites growth because of their high electrochemical stability ( Chen et al, 2022 ). High Li-ion conductivity is another significant characteristic of an outstanding modified SEI layer as it can help suppress the generation of lithium dendrites via homogenizing Li-ion flux.…”