Selective Permeable Lithium‐Ion Channels on Lithium Metal for Practical Lithium–Sulfur Pouch Cells

Abstract

Lithium metal batteries are considered a promising candidate for high‐energy‐density energy storage. However, the strong reducibility and high reactivity of lithium lead to low Coulombic efficiency when contacting oxidants, such as lithium polysulfide caused by the serious “shuttle effect” in lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein we design selectively permeable lithium‐ion channels on lithium metal surface, which allow lithium ions to pass through by electrochemical overpotential, while the polysulfides are effectively blocked due to the much larger steric hindrance than lithium ions. The selective permeation of lithium ions through the channels is further elucidated by the molecular simulation and visualization experiment. Consequently, a prolonged cycle life of 75 cycles and high Coulombic efficiency of 99 % are achieved in a practical Li–S pouch cell with limited amounts of lithium and electrolyte, confirming the unique role the selective ion permeation plays in protecting highly reactive alkali metal anodes in working batteries.

Surface engineering toward stable lithium metal anodes

“…Organic coating layers with superior mechanical deformability and low density are promising candidates to stabilize LMAs ( 71 ). In 1993, Takehara ( 72 ) pioneered the construction of a stable thin polymer film on the surface of Li metal by plasma-triggered polymerization of a liquid mixture.…”

Enhancing Li ion conduction through polyethylene glycol brushes towards long-life solid-state lithium metal batteries

“…33,34 To address the interfacial issue, building Li + channels on the lithium anode surface has been proposed. 35,36 These channels allowed Li + to pass through and realized stable interfacial contact. 37 Unfortunately, it is still a challenge to boost Li + transport kinetics both in the bulk of electrolyte and at the interface of electrolyte/electrode.…”

Clean and Efficient Recovery of Lithium from Al-Li Alloys via Vacuum Fractional Condensation

“…Lithium, the lightest metal, is unstable in nature. It can react with most metals and nonmetals under certain conditions [1][2][3]. However, owing to the special physical and chemical properties of lithium and its compounds, it is widely used in high-precision technical fields, such as aerospace, nuclear power generation, and high-energy batteries, as well as the creation of lightweight and high-strength alloys [4][5][6][7][8][9].…”