Single Lithium Ion Conducting "Binderlyte" for High-Performing Lithium Metal Batteries

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are deemed as a viable solution to improve the power and/or energy density of the contemporary lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, poor Li-ion diffusivity within high-energy cathodes causes sluggish kinetics of the corresponding redox reactions particularly at high C-rates, thereby largely impeding the performance of rechargeable LMBs. In this work, a dual-functional single Li-ion conducting polysalt is proposed as both catholyte and binding agent (coined "Binderlyte") for rechargeable LMBs. The designed Binderlyte is thermally and electrochemically stable, allowing its use for high-energy cathodes like Li(Ni_1/3 Mn_1/3 Co_1/3 )O₂ (NMC111). The implementation of designer Binderlyte endows the Li° || NMC111 cell with superior cycling stability and capacity retention even at an extremely high C-rate of 10C. In particular, the soft and flexible nature of the Binderlyte allows the thick NMC cathode to operate at extremely low porosity (20 vol%) with almost no capacity decay. This work may provide a paradigm shift on the design of innovative polymeric materials, which are essential for developing high-performing rechargeable LMBs.