Interfacial Manipulation via In Situ Constructed Fast Ion Transport Channels toward an Ultrahigh Rate and Practical...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Lithium metal anodes offer higher energy density but suffer from unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers and lithium dendrite growth.
• These issues hinder the practical application of lithium metal batteries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable SEI layer with enhanced ion transport for lithium metal anodes.
• To improve the cycling stability and performance of lithium metal batteries.

Main Methods:

• Coating lithium metal with a robust In2S3-cemented poly(vinyl alcohol) layer.
• In situ construction of fast ion transport channels within the SEI layer.
• Electrochemical testing of modified lithium metal anodes in Li|LiCoO2 cells and pouch cells.

Main Results:

• The modified lithium metal anode exhibited enhanced Coulombic efficiency and high rate performance (10 mA cm-2).
• Achieved ultralong cycling stability of approximately 4900 cycles with a low capacity decay rate (0.018% per cycle) in Li|LiCoO2 cells.
• Demonstrated prolonged cycling performance in full cells with high cathode loading and ultrathin lithium foil, even under limited lithium and lean electrolyte conditions.

Conclusions:

• The In2S3-cemented PVA coating effectively stabilizes the lithium metal anode by forming a robust SEI layer and facilitating ion transport.
• This strategy provides a cost-effective and scalable approach for developing high-performance, practical lithium metal batteries.
• The findings pave the way for advancing next-generation energy storage solutions.