Inhibition of lithium dendrites and dead lithium by an ionic liquid additive toward safe and stable lithium metal anodes

• Published in: Chinese chemical letters Vol. 33; no. 8; pp. 3951 - 3954
• Main Authors: Zhang, Shengjie, Cheng, Bin, Fang, Yanxiong, Dang, Dai, Shen, Xin, Li, Zhiqiang, Wu, Ming, Hong, Yun, Liu, Quanbing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2022; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Clean Transportation Energy Chemistry,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Biorefinery,School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry,Guangdong University of Technology,Guangzhou 510006,China%Department of Chemical Engineering,Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology,Tsinghua University,Beijing 100084,China
• Subjects: Dead lithium; Ionic liquid; Lithium dendrites; Lithium metal anode; Piperidinium; Solid electrolyte interface; Solid electrolyte interface; Piperidinium; Lithium dendrites; Dead lithium; Lithium metal anode; Ionic liquid
• ISSN: 1001-8417; 1878-5964
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2021.11.024

The uncontrolled growth of lithium dendrites and accumulation of “dead lithium” upon cycling are among the main obstacles that hinder the widespread application of lithium metal anodes. Herein, an ionic liquid (IL) consisting of 1-methyl-1-propylpiperidinium cation (Pp13+) and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide anion (FSI−), was chosen as the additive in propylene carbonate (PC)-based liquid electrolytes to circumvent the shortcoming of lithium metal anodes. The optimal 1% Pp13FSI acts as the role of electrostatic shielding, lithiophobic effect and participating in the formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer with enhanced properties. The in-situ optical microscopy records that the addition of IL can effectively inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites and the corrosion of lithium anode. This study delivers an effective modification to optimize electrolytes for stable lithium metal batteries. Effective additive Pp13FSI was designed for electrolyte and inhibited the growth of lithium dendrites and dead lithium. [Display omitted]