Stabilizing Solid Electrolyte Interphases on Both Anode and Cathode for High Areal Capacity, High-Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries with High Li Utilization and Lean Electrolyte

High-energy-density lithium metal batteries are considered the most promising candidates for the next-generation energy storage systems. However, conventional electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries can hardly meet the demand of the lithium metal batteries due to their intrinsic instability for Li metal anodes and high-voltage cathodes. Herein, an ester-based electrolyte with tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphate additive that can form stable solid electrolyte interphases on the anode and cathode is reported. The additive decomposes before the ester solvent and enables the formation of P- and Si-rich interphases on both electrodes that are ion conductive and robust. Thus, lithium metal batteries with a high-specific-energy of 373 Wh kg(-1)can exhibit a long lifespan of over 80 cycles under practical conditions, including a low negative/positive capacity ratio of 2.3, high areal capacity of 4.5 mAh cm(-2)for cathode, high-voltage of 4.5 V, and lean electrolyte of 2.8 mu L mAh(-1). A 4.5 V pouch cell is further assembled to demonstrate the practical application of the tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphate additive with an areal capacity of 10.2 and 9.4 mAh cm(-2)for the anode and cathode, respectively. This work is expected to provide an effective electrolyte optimizing strategy compatible with current lithium ion battery manufacturing systems and pave the way for the next-generation Li metal batteries with high specific energy and energy density.