Printable Solid Electrolyte Interphase Mimic for Antioxidative Lithium Metal Electrodes

Abstract

Despite the ever‐growing demand for Li metals as next‐generation Li battery electrodes, little attention has been paid to their oxidation stability, which must be achieved for practical applications. Here, a new class of printable solid electrolyte interphase mimic (pSEI) for antioxidative Li metal electrodes is presented. The pSEI (≈1 µm) is directly fabricated on a thin Li metal electrode (25 µm) by processing solvent‐free, UV polymerization‐assisted printing, exhibiting its manufacturing simplicity and scalability. The pSEI is rationally designed to mimic a typical SEI comprising organic and inorganic components, in which ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate and diallyldimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide are introduced as an organic mimic (acting as a moisture‐repellent structural framework) and inorganic mimic (allowing facile Li‐ion transport/high Li+ transference number), respectively. Driven by the chemical/architectural uniqueness, the pSEI enables the thin Li metal electrode to show exceptional antioxidation stability and reliable full cell performance after exposure to humid environments.

High Current‐Density‐Charging Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by Double‐Layer Protected Lithium Metal Anode

“…The Li ion transference number of each polymer film was evaluated using a potentiostatic polarization method with the addition of the liquid electrolyte used in this study. [34] In the case of the fast-charging test of Li||NMC622 cells, the formation step was the same as that used in cycling test cells, while the constant current density of C/10 was used for discharging and the charging current densities were at C/10, C/3, C/2, 1C, 1.5C, and C/10 for 5 cycles during each charging rate. The GITT profiles were obtained using a potentiostat/ galvanostat (VSP classic, Bio Logic).…”

Challenge-driven printing strategies toward high-performance solid-state lithium batteries

“…Various printing techniques can ensure controllable thickness, a low-cost process, scalable methodology, and reliable performance. 65,66 For example, Sun et al fabricated a dense and freestanding carbon nanotube (CNT) protective layer (200 mm in thickness and 10 mm in diameter) to protect the Li metal anode via a 3D printing and freeze-drying process (Fig. 2d).…”

Solid polymer electrolytes of ionic liquids via a bicontinuous ion transport channel for lithium metal batteries

“…SPEs are exible and mechanically strong to suppress dendritic lithium growth during the electrochemical reaction. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Nevertheless, SPEs have not been commercialized yet due to several critical limitations, including the low ionic conductivity and trade-off relationship between ionic conductivity and mechanical strength. 16,17 Nanostructured solid polymer electrolytes (NPEs) have been recently proposed to solve these limitations, which generally have two different phases: lithium-ion transport channels and a solid phase with high mechanical strength.…”

“…SPEs are flexible and mechanically strong to suppress dendritic lithium growth during the electrochemical reaction. 8–15 Nevertheless, SPEs have not been commercialized yet due to several critical limitations, including the low ionic conductivity and trade-off relationship between ionic conductivity and mechanical strength. 16,17…”