High dielectric barium titanate porous scaffold for efficient Li metal cycling in anode-free cells.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34764287.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-26859-8 and PMC identifier 8585873.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Li metal batteries are being intensively investigated as a means to achieve higher energy density when compared with standard Li-ion batteries. However, the formation of dendritic and mossy Li metal microstructures at the negative electrode during stripping/plating cycles causes electrolyte decomposition and the formation of electronically disconnected Li metal particles. Here we investigate the use of a Cu current collector coated with a high dielectric BaTiO<sub>3</sub> porous scaffold to suppress the electrical field gradients that cause morphological inhomogeneities during Li metal stripping/plating. Applying operando solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, we demonstrate that the high dielectric BaTiO<sub>3</sub> porous scaffold promotes dense Li deposition, improves the average plating/stripping efficiency and extends the cycling life of the cell compared to both bare Cu and to a low dielectric scaffold material (i.e., Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>). We report electrochemical tests in full anode-free coin cells using a LiNi<sub>0.8</sub>Co<sub>0.1</sub>Mn<sub>0.1</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-based positive electrode and a LiPF<sub>6</sub>-based electrolyte to demonstrate the cycling efficiency of the BaTiO<sub>3</sub>-coated Cu electrode.