Dendrite Suppression by Lithium-Ion Redistribution and Lithium Wetting of Lithium Zeolite Li₂(Al₂Si₄O₁₂) in Liquid Electrolytes

Abstract

Lithium metal is considered a next-generation anode material for high-voltage, high-energy-density batteries; however, its commercialization is limited because of dendrite formation during charging, which leads to short-circuiting and fire. Li metal is coated with a lithium zeolite Li2(Al2Si4O12) (bikitaite - BKT) for dendrite suppression. The BKT-coated Li metal anode exhibits enhanced cycle performance for both Li/LMO (over 982 cycles) and Li/Li cells (over 2000 h at 0.52.0 mAh cm–2 and 693 h at 2.0 mAh cm–2). Moreover, the voltage profile of the Li/Li cells deviates from the conventional Li plating behavior. We hypothesize that this is due to the Li wetting of the BKT particles during plating, which leads to the formation of an interconnected three-dimensional (3D) Li network. Furthermore, BKT, a Li conductor, promotes even Li+-ion distribution during plating, resulting in the uniform deposition of Li and, consequently, suppressed dendrite formation. This work provides evidence that BKT can be potentially used in Li metal batteries.

Zeolite Coated Separators for Improved Performance and Safety of Lithium Metal Batteries

“…[46][47][48]53 Recently, many reports have emerged on the use of zeolite particles for composite separators due to their many advantages on battery performance. [54][55][56][57][58][59][60] This paper demonstrates how we could delay Li metal electrode-related degradation and improve battery performance by applying a zeolite coating on one side of the Celgard 2400 separator. This zeolite coated separator offers several advantages, including increased ionic conductivity and electrolyte uptake due to its superior porosity and wetting behavior.…”

Metal organic framework MOF-808-based solid-state electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries

“…6,7 However, during the charging and discharging process, traditional liquid electrolytes lead to severe electrodeposition and dendrite growth on the anode, as well as low ion selectivity and flammable organic electrolyte solvents that can result in unfruitful or explosive LIBs. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Therefore, solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) have emerged as a candidate scheme to develop more stable and safer electrolytes for high-energy batteries. 16,17 The mechanical strength, electrochemical stabilities and thermal properties of SSEs are usually better than those of liquid electrolytes, allowing much more stable ion transport compared to the liquid and inhibiting the formation of dendrites by uneven electrodeposition of lithium during application.…”