Design of a LiF-Rich Solid Electrolyte Interphase Layer through Highly Concentrated LiFSI-THF Electrolyte for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries

Lithium metal is a promising anode material for lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, dendrite growth and limited Coulombic efficiency (CE) during cycling have prevented its practical application in rechargeable batteries. Herein, a highly concentrated electrolyte composed of an ether solvent and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) salt is introduced, which enables the cycling of a lithium metal anode at a high CE (up to approximate to 99%) without dendrite growth, even at high current densities. Using 3.85 m LiFSI in tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the electrolyte, a Li||Li symmetric cell can be cycled at 1.0 mA cm(-2) for more than 1000 h with stable polarization of approximate to 0.1 V, and Li||LFP cells can be cycled at 2 C (1 C = 170 mA g(-1)) for more than 1000 cycles with a capacity retention of 94.5%. These excellent performances are observed to be attributed to the increased cation-anion associated complexes, such as contact ion pairs and aggregate in the highly concentrated electrolyte; revealed by Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. These results demonstrate the benefits of a high-concentration LiFSI-THF electrolyte system, generating new possibilities for high-energy-density rechargeable LMBs.

Automated summary

A highly concentrated LiFSI-THF electrolyte system has been introduced, allowing for high CE cycling of lithium metal anodes without dendrite growth. The excellent charge-discharge performance is attributed to the increased cation-anion associated complexes in the electrolyte.