An interface-contact regulation renders thermally safe lithium metal batteries

The reactions among lithium metal anode, cathode, and electrolyte contribute to the origin of thermal runaway of Li metal batteries (LMBs). In this contribution, polyethylene glycol (PEG) is adopted as an effective thermal safety modifier to reduce the reactions between cell components. The heat release and the initial exothermic peak for cell components mixture can be changed from 26.44 to 10.15 W g-1 and 144 to187 degrees C with the addition of PEG. The highly viscous PEG leads to the poor contact and reduces reactions between electrolyte and elec-trodes, thus enhancing the thermal stability of Li metal batteries. Therefore, regulating the contact and reaction interface between electrodes and electrolyte during thermal runaway can be an efficient strategy to design a thermally safe LMBs. This work elucidates the design principles for the interface exothermic reactions during thermal runaway.

Automated summary

This study investigates the reactions between the anode, cathode, and electrolyte in lithium metal batteries and their contribution to thermal runaway. The authors propose the use of polyethylene glycol as a thermal safety modifier to mitigate these reactions. Experimental results show that the addition of polyethylene glycol reduces the heat release and temperature peak of the cell components, enhancing the thermal stability of lithium metal batteries.