Tailoring electrolyte solvation for Li metal batteries cycled at ultra-low temperature

John Holoubek, Haodong Liu, Zhaohui Wu, Yijie Yin, Xing Xing, Guorui Cai, Sicen Yu, Hongyao Zhou, Tod A. Pascal (), Zheng Chen () and Ping Liu ()
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John Holoubek: University of California, San Diego
Haodong Liu: University of California, San Diego
Zhaohui Wu: University of California, San Diego
Yijie Yin: University of California, San Diego
Xing Xing: University of California, San Diego
Guorui Cai: University of California, San Diego
Sicen Yu: University of California, San Diego
Hongyao Zhou: University of California, San Diego
Tod A. Pascal: University of California, San Diego
Zheng Chen: University of California, San Diego
Ping Liu: University of California, San Diego

Nature Energy, 2021, vol. 6, issue 3, 303-313

Abstract: Abstract Lithium metal batteries hold promise for pushing cell-level energy densities beyond 300 Wh kg−1 while operating at ultra-low temperatures (below −30 °C). Batteries capable of both charging and discharging at these temperature extremes are highly desirable due to their inherent reduction in the need for external warming. Here we demonstrate that the local solvation structure of the electrolyte defines the charge-transfer behaviour at ultra-low temperature, which is crucial for achieving high Li metal Coulombic efficiency and avoiding dendritic growth. These insights were applied to Li metal full-cells, where a high-loading 3.5 mAh cm−2 sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) cathode was paired with a onefold excess Li metal anode. The cell retained 84% and 76% of its room temperature capacity when cycled at −40 and −60 °C, respectively, which presented stable performance over 50 cycles. This work provides design criteria for ultra-low-temperature lithium metal battery electrolytes, and represents a defining step for the performance of low-temperature batteries.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-021-00783-z

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