Extreme Fast Charging of Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by a Molten-Salt-Derived Nanocrystal Interphase.

Wu, Wei; Niu, Fang; Sun, Chuankui; Wang, Qingrong; Wang, Man; Wang, Jun; Deng, Yonghong; Ning, De et al. · Adv Mater · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The extreme fast charging performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) with a long life is an important focus in the development of next-generation battery technologies. The friable solid electrolyte interphase and dendritic lithium growth are major problems. The formation of an inorganic nanocrystal-dominant interphase produced by preimmersing the Li in molten lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide that suppresses the overgrowth of the usual interphase is reported. Its high surface modulus combined with fast Li<sup>+</sup> diffusivity enables a reversible dendrite-proof deposition under ultrahigh-rate conditions. It gives a record-breaking cumulative plating/stripping capacity of >240 000 mAh cm<sup>-2</sup> at 30 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>@30 mAh cm<sup>-2</sup> for a symmetric cell and an extreme fast charging performance at 6 C for 500 cycles for a Li||LiCoO<sub>2</sub> full cell with a high-areal-capacity, thus expanding the use of LMBs to high-loading and power-intensive scenarios. Its usability both in roll-to-roll production and in different electrolytes indicating the scalable and industrial potential of this process for high-performance LMBs.