Molecular anchoring of free solvents for high-voltage and high-safety lithium metal batteries

Zhuangzhuang Cui; Zhuangzhuang Jia; Digen Ruan; Qingshun Nian; Jiajia Fan; Shunqiang Chen; Zixu He; Dazhuang Wang; Jinyu Jiang; Jun Ma; Xing Ou; Shuhong Jiao; Qingsong Wang; Xiaodi Ren

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-46186-y

Nature Communications (Mar 2024)

Molecular anchoring of free solvents for high-voltage and high-safety lithium metal batteries

Zhuangzhuang Cui,
Zhuangzhuang Jia,
Digen Ruan,
Qingshun Nian,
Jiajia Fan,
Shunqiang Chen,
Zixu He,
Dazhuang Wang,
Jinyu Jiang,
Jun Ma,
Xing Ou,
Shuhong Jiao,
Qingsong Wang,
Xiaodi Ren

Affiliations

Zhuangzhuang Cui: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Zhuangzhuang Jia: State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China
Digen Ruan: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Qingshun Nian: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Jiajia Fan: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Shunqiang Chen: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Zixu He: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Dazhuang Wang: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Jinyu Jiang: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Jun Ma: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Xing Ou: Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Battery Materials, School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University
Shuhong Jiao: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China
Qingsong Wang: State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China
Xiaodi Ren: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46186-y
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

Read online

Abstract Constraining the electrochemical reactivity of free solvent molecules is pivotal for developing high-voltage lithium metal batteries, especially for ether solvents with high Li metal compatibility but low oxidation stability ( 4.4 V) and extensive exothermic reactions between Li metal and reactive anions. Herein, we propose a molecular anchoring approach to restrict the interfacial reactivity of free ether solvents in diluted electrolytes. The hydrogen-bonding interactions from the anchoring solvent effectively suppress excessive ether side reactions and enhances the stability of nickel rich cathodes at 4.7 V, despite the extremely low Li+/ether molar ratio (1:9) and the absence of typical anion-derived interphase. Furthermore, the exothermic processes under thermal abuse conditions are mitigated due to the reduced reactivity of anions, which effectively postpones the battery thermal runaway.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

About the journal