A Multifunctional Potent Lewis Acid for In Situ Formation of Poly-Dioxolane Electrolytes Toward High-Performance...

Quasi-solid-state polymer electrolytes represent a promising strategy for Li metal batteries (LMBs) with superior safety and energy density. However, Li dendrite formation and unstable interfaces significantly hinder their practical application. Here, an AlCl₃-initiated gel polymer electrolyte (AGPE) is developed via in situ ring-opening polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) to directly generate poly(1,3-dioxolane) (PDOL) electrolyte in battery cells. AlCl₃ acts both as polymerization initiator and a multifunctional additive, enhancing polymer network stability and facilitating selective Li⁺ transport through an AlCl₃-mediated multi-coordination framework. Additionally, AlCl₃ spontaneously generates a hybrid SEI layer composed of LiF, LiCl, and LiAl, significantly enhancing interfacial stability and suppressing dendritic growth. Consequently, the AGPE achieves excellent ionic conductivity (≈5.0 mS cm^-1 at room temperature) and an outstanding Li⁺ transference number (t_Li+ = 0.75). Li||LiFePO₄ full cells employing AGPE exhibit superior electrochemical stability, retaining 92.7% capacity after 280 cycles at 0.5 C and delivering a high capacity of 118.2 mAh g^-1 at 5 C. These results highlight AGPE as an attractive quasi-solid electrolyte, demonstrating substantial promise for safe and high-performance next-generation LMBs.