Yttrium-Containing Solid Electrolyte Interphase Safeguards Lithium Anodes in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

Lithium−sulfur batteries (LSBs) are regarded as significantly potential future-oriented power sources. Nevertheless, one of the significant challenges that needs to be addressed in LSBs is lithium dendrite overgrowth. In this study, we have introduced 1% LiNO 3 and 2% Y(NO 3 ) 3 (1% Li & 2% Y) additives to form an in situ solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer to overcome the challenges of lithium dendrite overgrowth and enhance the electrochemical performance in LSBs. Including Y(NO 3 ) 3 (2% Y) as an additive builds the emergence of the composite passivation layer containing Y 2 S 3 /Li 2 S/Li 2 S 2 covering the Li anode. Y 2 S 3 not only effectively enhances the mechanical stability of the SEI layer on the Li anode, but also catalyzes the decomposition of Li 2 S at the cathode. In addition, the incorporation of LiNO 3 also contributes to an improved coulomb efficiency of the LSB. The electrolyte formulated with 1% Li & 2% Y additives demonstrates a capacity of 711.9 mA h g −1 after 250 cycles at 0.5C, showcasing excellent cycle stability. Furthermore, the capacity decay rate for each cycle is only 0.08%. These results validate the effectiveness of the 1% Li & 2% Y additives in protecting the lithium anode effectively, thereby establishing the potential for developing environmentally friendly and long-lasting batteries.