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Published on: January 20, 2023
Separators Modified with Ultrathin Montmorillonite/Polymer Nanocoatings Achieve Dendrite-Free Lithium Deposition at
Ying Zhang1, Yicheng Hua1, Guoqiang Zhao1
1Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education, Laboratory of Advanced Mineral Materials, and Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
Abstract:
Fatal dendritic growth in lithium metal batteries is closely related to the composition and thickness of the modified separator. Herein, an ultrathin nanocoating composed of monolayer montmorillonite (MMT), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on a polypropylene separator is prepared. The MMT was exfoliated into monolayers (only 0.96 nm) by intercalating PVA under ultrasound, followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. The thickness of the nanocoating on the polypropylene separator, as determined using the pull-up method, is only 200-500 nm with excellent properties. As a result, the lithium-symmetric battery composed of it has a low overpotential (only 40 mV) and a long lifespan of more than 7900 h at high current density, because ion transport is unimpeded and Li+ flows uniformly through the ordered ion channels between the MMT layers. Additionally, the separator exhibited excellent cycling stability in Li-S batteries. This study offers a new idea for fabricating ultrathin clay/polymer modified separators for metal anode stable cycling at high current densities.
