Potassium 2-thienyl tri-fluoroborate as a functional electrolyte additive enables stable interfaces for Li/LiFe0.3Mn0.7PO4 batteries

As a promising cathode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries, olivine LiFe1-xMnxPO4 (0 < x < 1, LFMP) combines the high safety of LiFePO4 and the high energy density of LiMnPO4. During the charge-discharge process, poor interface stability of active materials leads to capacity decay, which prevents its commercial application. Here, to stabilize the interface, a new electrolyte additive potassium 2-thienyl tri-fluoroborate (2TFBP) is developed to boost the performance of LiFe0.3Mn0.7PO4 at 4.5 V vs. Li/Li+. Specifically, after 200 cycles, the capacity retention remains at 83.78% in the electrolyte containing 0.2% 2-TFBP while the capacity retention without 2-TFBP addition is only 53.94%. Based on the comprehensive measurements results, the improved cyclic performance is attributed to that 2-TFBP has a higher highest occupied molecular orbit (HOMO) energy and its thiophene group can be electropolymerized above 4.4 V vs. Li/Li+ for generating uniform cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) with poly-thiophene, which can stable materials structure and suppress the decomposition of electrolytes. Meanwhile, 2-TFBP both promotes the deposition/exfoliation of Li+ at anode-electrolyte interfaces and regulates Li deposition by K+ cations through the electrostatic mechanism. This work presents that 2-TFBP has a great application prospect as a functional additive for high-voltage and high-energy-density lithium metal batteries.

Automated summary

In order to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries, researchers have developed a new electrolyte additive, 2-TFBP, to stabilize the interface of LiFe0.3Mn0.7PO4. Experimental results show that in the electrolyte containing 0.2% 2-TFBP, the capacity retention after 200 cycles is 83.78%, while without the addition of 2-TFBP, the capacity retention is only 53.94%. It is found that 2-TFBP can form a stable cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) with poly-thiophene, which stabilizes the materials structure and suppresses the decomposition of electrolytes, and also promotes the deposition and exfoliation of Li+ ions.