Boosting wide-temperature solid-state lithium metal batteries by polyether-carbonate hybridization.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Solid-state lithium metal batteries face challenges in temperature resilience due to low ionic conductivity, lithium dendrite formation, and interfacial degradation.
• These issues limit electrochemical performance and safety at extreme temperatures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel polyether-co-carbonate solid polymer electrolyte (PDPC) for wide-temperature range operation in lithium metal batteries.
• To address limitations in ionic conductivity, dendrite formation, and interfacial stability.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a PDPC electrolyte using an electronic cloud modulation strategy, combining poly(1,3-dioxolane), poly(propylene carbonate), and poly(vinylene carbonate) segments.
• Characterized the electrolyte's ionic conductivity, activation energy, electrochemical stability window, and Li+ transference number.
• Fabricated and tested PDPC-based lithium-metal batteries across a temperature range of -10 to 60 °C.

Main Results:

• The PDPC electrolyte achieved high ionic conductivity (1.8 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 25 °C) and low activation energy (0.16 eV).
• Exhibited an expanded electrochemical stability window (4.5 V vs. Li+/Li) and improved Li+ transference number (0.84).
• PDPC-based batteries demonstrated superior performance and high Coulombic efficiency from -10 to 60 °C.

Conclusions:

• The developed PDPC electrolyte effectively overcomes temperature-related challenges in solid-state lithium metal batteries.
• The material's unique structure optimizes ionic transport and interfacial stability, enabling robust performance across diverse temperature conditions.