The application of solid-state batteries
(SSBs) is challenged by
the inherently poor interfacial contact between the solid-state electrolyte
(SSE) and the electrodes, typically a metallic lithium anode. Building
artificial intermediate nanofilms is effective in tackling this roadblock,
but their implementation largely relies on vapor-based techniques
such as atomic layer deposition, which are expensive, energy-intensive,
and time-consuming due to the monolayer deposited per cycle. Herein,
an easy and low-cost wet-chemistry fabrication process is used to
engineer the anode/solid electrolyte interface in SSBs with nanoscale
precision. This coordination-assisted deposition is initiated with
polyacrylate acid as a functional polymer to control the surface reaction,
which modulates the distribution and decomposition of metal precursors
to reliably form a uniform crack-free and flexible nanofilm of a large
variety of metal oxides. For demonstration, artificial Al2O3 interfacial nanofilms were deposited on a ceramic SSE,
typically garnet-structured Li6.5La3Zr1.5Ta0.5O12 (LLZT), that led to a significant
decrease in the Li/LLZT interfacial resistance (from 2079.5 to 8.4
Ω cm2) as well as extraordinarily long cycle life
of the assembled SSBs. This strategy enables the use of a nickel-rich
LiNi0.83Co0.07Mn0.1O2 cathode
to deliver a reversible capacity of 201.5 mAh g–1 at a considerable loading of 4.8 mg cm–2, featuring
performance metrics for an SSB that is competitive with those of traditional
Li-ion systems. Our study demonstrates the potential of solution-based
routes as an affordable and scalable manufacturing alternative to
vapor-based deposition techniques that can accelerate the development
of SSBs for practical applications.
The key hurdle to the practical application of polymeric electrolytes in high‐energy‐density solid lithium‐metal batteries is the sluggish Li+ mobility and inferior electrode/electrolyte interfacial stability. Herein, a dynamic supramolecular polymer electrolyte (SH‐SPE) with loosely coordinating structure is synthesized based on poly(hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate‐co‐N‐methylmethacrylamide) (PHFNMA) and single‐ion lithiated polyvinyl formal. The weak anti‐cooperative H‐bonds between the two polymers endow SH‐SPE with a self‐healing ability and improved toughness. Meanwhile, the good flexibility and widened energy gap of PHFNMA enable SH‐SPE with efficient ion transport and superior interfacial stability in high‐voltage battery systems. As a result, the as‐prepared SH‐SPE exhibits an ionic conductivity of 2.30 × 10−4 S cm−1, lithium‐ion transference number of 0.74, electrochemical stability window beyond 4.8 V, and tensile strength up to 11.9 MPa as well as excellent adaptability with volume change of the electrodes. In addition, no major electrolyte decomposition inside batteries made from SH‐SPE and LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode can be observed in the in situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry test. This study provides a new methodology for the macromolecular design of polymer electrolytes to address the interfacial issues in high‐voltage solid batteries.
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