Structured electrolytes to suppress dendrite growth in high energy density batteries

Abstract

SUMMARYDendrite formation on the anode surface of high energy density lithium batteries is closely related to the safety and capacity of batteries; therefore, the suppression of dendrite growth could significantly improve battery performance and lifetime. Many reports demonstrate the close relation between local mass transport and dendrite growth, and most of the research focuses on improving the transport properties of isotropic electrolytes (electrolytes with a uniform diffusion coefficient). Recent research reveals strong dendrite suppression effects with anisotropic electrolytes which have a directional diffusivity; however applying anisotropic electrolytes to existing battery systems is challenging. In this paper we propose several hybrid structured electrolyte designs which can generate local non-uniform mass transport properties and induce dendrite suppression effects while still using conventional isotropic electrolytes. A numerical study is done to consider three hybrid electrolyte designs and shows that using a columnized solid structure with a typical isotropic liquid electrolyte can significantly suppress dendrite growth without sacrificing battery performance. The effects of the columnized hybrid electrolyte compare well with experimental data and suggest that through careful design of a columnar structure the benefits of an anisotropic electrolyte can be achieved without the need for developing new anisotropic liquid electrolytes.

Modeling the effect of key cathode design parameters on the electrochemical performance of a lithium-sulfur battery

“…Second, the polysulfide shuttle mechanism that takes place due to the migration of the soluble polysulfides in the electrolyte could decrease the Coulombic efficiency significantly . Lastly, Li metal is highly unstable; the surface area increases significantly with cycling, which could cause Li or electrolyte depletion in the cell …”

“…1,[4][5][6] Lastly, Li metal is highly unstable; the surface area increases significantly with cycling, which could cause Li or electrolyte depletion in the cell. 1,[7][8][9] In Li-S batteries, cell design has a critical effect on both electrochemical performance and systems-levelspecific energy and energy density. 1 The carbon-to-sulfur (C/S) ratio in the cathode is one of these key cell design parameters.…”

Intermetallic Ni3Sn4-based graphene@carbon hybrid composites for lithium-ion batteries

“…Further growth of the passivation layer will improve the mechanical integrity of the particles, thus making the electrode/electrolyte interface more stable . The results obtained from EIS analysis clearly indicates that electrochemical properties of yolk‐shell Ni 3 Sn 4 /graphene significantly improved by carbon coating and graphene reinforcing by obtaining an stable and desirable passivation film over the surfaces of the active electrodes …”

“…30 The results obtained from EIS analysis clearly indicates that electrochemical properties of yolk-shell Ni 3 Sn 4 /graphene significantly improved by carbon coating and graphene reinforcing by obtaining an stable and desirable passivation film over the surfaces of the active electrodes. [31][32][33][34][35][36] 4 | CONCLUSIONS In this study, a unique "yolk-shell" structure reinforced with graphene is optimized by facile synthesizing methods. Ni 3 Sn 4 nanoparticles as "yolk" part of the structure were synthesized via chemical reduction techniques.…”

Controllable constructing alloy dendrites with fractal structure as free‐standing electrode for enhanced oxygen evolution

“…Accompanying this electrodeposition process, some dendrites will be produced at the edge of the cathode plate, and they give rise to relatively low current efficiency in the electrolytic process . Various strategies have been developed to mitigate the negative impact of dendrites . For instance, Wang and co‐workers demonstrated the vital effect of plating residual stress on Li dendrite growth through depositing Li on the surface of 2D wrinkled copper .…”