Uncoordinated chemistry enables highly conductive and stable electrolyte/filler interfaces for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries

Composite-polymer-electrolytes (CPEs) embedded with advanced filler materials offer great promise for fast and preferential Li+ conduction. The filler surface chemis-try determines the interaction with electrolyte molecules and thus critically regulates the Li+ behaviors at the interfaces. Herein, we probe into the role of electrolyte/filler interfaces (EFI) in CPEs and promote Li+ conduction by introducing an unsaturated coordination Prussian blue analog (UCPBA) filler. Combining scanning transmis-sion X-ray microscope stack imaging studies and first-principle calculations, fast Li+ conduction is revealed only achievable at a chemically stable EFI, which can be established by the unsaturated Co-O coordination in UCPBA to circumvent the side reactions. Moreover, the as-exposed Lewis-acid metal centers in UCPBA efficiently attract the Lewis-base anions of Li salts, which facilitates the Li+ disassociation and enhances its transference number (tLi+). Attributed to these superiorities, the obtained CPEs realize high room-temperature ionic conductivity up to 0.36 mS cm-1 and tLi+ of 0.6, enabling an excellent cyclability of lithium metal electrodes over 4,000 h as well as remarkable capacity retention of 97.6% over 180 cycles at 0.5 C for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries. This work highlights the crucial role of EFI chemistry in developing highly conductive CPEs and high-performance solid-state batteries.

Automated summary

Composite-polymer-electrolytes (CPEs) embedded with an unsaturated coordination Prussian blue analog (UCPBA) filler demonstrate fast and preferential Li+ conduction through a chemically stable electrolyte/filler interface (EFI). The unsaturated Co-O coordination in UCPBA ensures a stable EFI and prevents side reactions, while the Lewis-acid metal centers attract the Lewis-base anions of Li salts, enhancing Li+ disassociation and transference number (tLi+). These CPEs exhibit high room-temperature ionic conductivity and excellent cyclability and capacity retention for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries.