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Download fileHigh-Concentration Ether Electrolytes for Stable High-Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries
journal contribution
posted on 20.03.2019, 00:00 authored by Xiaodi Ren, Lianfeng Zou, Shuhong Jiao, Donghai Mei, Mark H. Engelhard, Qiuyan Li, Hongkyung Lee, Chaojiang Niu, Brian D. Adams, Chongmin Wang, Jun Liu, Ji-Guang Zhang, Wu XuHigh-voltage
(>4.3 V) rechargeable lithium (Li) metal batteries
(LMBs) face huge obstacles due to the high reactivity of Li metal
with traditional electrolytes. Despite their good stability with Li
metal, conventional ether-based electrolytes are typically used only
in <4.0 V LMBs because of their limited oxidation stability. Here
we report high-concentration ether electrolytes that can induce the
formation of a unique cathode electrolyte interphase via the synergy
between the salt and the ether solvent, which effectively stabilizes
the catalytically active cathodes and preserves their structural integrity
under high voltages. Eventually, LMBs can retain 92% capacity after
500 cycles at 4.3 V with very limited Li consumption. More importantly,
such ether electrolytes enable stable battery cycling not only under
voltages as high as 4.5 V but also on highly demanding Ni-rich layered
cathodes. These findings significantly expand knowledge of ether electrolytes
and provide new perspectives of electrolyte design for high-energy-density
LMBs.