MgNiO₂ as a Ceramic Additive To Improve the Durability of Lithium Metal Anode

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Ceramic additives are crucial for regulating interfacial reactions in lithium metal anodes.
• A stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer is key to improving lithium metal anode durability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce MgNiO2 (MN) as a novel ceramic additive for enhancing lithium metal anode performance.
• To investigate the effects of MN on SEI layer properties and interfacial resistance.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of MgNiO2 into protective films for Li|Cu cells.
• Modification of carbon nanofiber hosts with MgNiO2 (CNF @ MN) for 3D anode structures.
• Electrochemical testing of Li|Cu, Li|Li symmetric, and Li|NCM811 cells.

Main Results:

• MgNiO2 addition to protective films improved Li|Cu cell durability by 4 times (∼210 cycles).
• The SEI layer in MN-modified cells exhibited semiconductive characteristics, tuning interfacial reactions.
• CNF @ MN modified 3D hosts demonstrated excellent operational stability (∼2400 h in Li|Li symmetric cells, ∼280 cycles in Li|NCM811 cells).

Conclusions:

• MgNiO2 is an effective ceramic for stabilizing lithium metal anodes.
• The inert semiconductive nature of MN warrants further investigation for lithium anode applications.