Amorphous-Carbon-Coated 3D Solid Electrolyte for an Electro-Chemomechanically Stable Lithium Metal Anode in...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Solid-state electrolytes are crucial for safe, high-energy-density lithium metal anodes in advanced batteries.
• Instability and detachment of lithium anodes from solid-state electrolytes due to inhomogeneous current densities hinder practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for maintaining a stable interface between lithium metal anodes and solid-state electrolytes.
• To improve the electro-chemomechanical stability and cycling performance of lithium metal batteries.

Main Methods:

• Depositing an amorphous carbon nanocoating onto a garnet-type solid-state electrolyte.
• Investigating the electron and ion conducting properties of the carbon nanocoating.
• Evaluating the lithium metal/garnet interface stability through electrochemical cycling.

Main Results:

• The amorphous carbon nanocoating homogenizes lithium metal stripping and plating processes.
• The coated Li metal/garnet interface demonstrated stable cycling at 3 mA/cm² for over 500 hours.
• The coating significantly enhances the electro-chemomechanical stability of the interface.

Conclusions:

• Amorphous carbon nanocoatings are a promising strategy for stabilizing Li metal/solid-state electrolyte interfaces.
• This approach facilitates the development of reliable and high-performance lithium metal batteries.