The growing demand for portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale advanced energy storage has aroused increasing interest in the development of high energy density lithium batteries. The electrolyte is...

Understanding Li+ migration behavior in hybrid solid-state electrolytes (HSEs) is essential for realizing the conductivity of HSE and high energy density Li metal batteries. Here, a highly conductive HSE with...

Mechanically strong separators with good electrolyte wettability and low-shrinkage properties are desirable for highly efficient and safe lithium batteries. In this study, multifunctional nanofiber membranes are fabricated by electrospinning a homogeneous solution containing amphiphilic poly­(ethylene glycol)­diacrylate-grafted siloxane and polyacrylonitrile. After the chemical cross-linking of siloxane, the prepared nanofiber membranes are found to exhibit good mechanical properties, high thermostability, and superior electrolyte-philicity with aqueous and nonaqueous electrolytes. Li–metal cells with the fabricated membrane separator exhibit high cycling stability (Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% after 1000 cycles). Moreover, improved cycling stability of Li–sulfur batteries can be achieved using these membrane separators. These membrane separators can be further used in flexible aqueous lithium-ion batteries and exhibit steady electrochemistry performance. This work opens up a potential route for designing multifunctional universal separators for rechargeable batteries.

The presence of trace amounts of moisture in the electrolyte can cause hydrolysis of LiPF6 and deteriorate the stability of lithium metal batteries. Herein, we propose a multifunctional ionic liquid-type additive constituting a 1-methyl-1-butyl pyrrolidium cation (Py14 +) and an acetate anion (CH3COO–) (denoted as IL-AC in this study), which can effectively adsorb the trace moisture and thus prevent the hydrolysis of LiPF6 via intermolecular interactions. The prepared IL-AC can also remove HF to suppress the dissolution of transition metal ions from cathode materials through the reaction CH3COO– + HF → CH3COOH + F–. Compared with the baseline electrolyte, the contents of HF and transition metal ions are significantly lower in the electrolyte with 0.5% IL-AC. Upon the addition of 0.5% IL-AC additive and 2500 ppm H2O, the Li||NCM811 battery shows a capacity of 153.7 mAh g–1 after 300 cycles, while the Li||LNMO battery possesses stable capacity retention of 93.22% after 500 cycles at 1C and a Coulombic efficiency greater than 99%. Thus, this work provides a convenient and effective method to absorb trace amounts of water and remove HF in the electrolyte and provides a new path for the expensive and tedious process of water removal from the electrolyte in industry.

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