Single‐Solvent‐Based Electrolyte Enabling a High‐Voltage Lithium‐Metal Battery with Long Cycle Life

Abstract

AbstractThe application of Li‐metal‐anodes (LMA) can significantly improve the energy density of state‐of‐the‐art lithium ion batteries. Lots of new electrolyte systems have been developed to form a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) films, thereby achieving long‐term cycle stability of LMA. Unfortunately, the common problem faced by these electrolytes is poor oxidation stability, which rarely supports the cycling of high‐voltage Li‐metal batteries (LMBs). In this work, a new single‐component solvent dimethoxy(methyl)(3,3,3‐trifluoropropyl) silane is proposed. The electrolyte composed of this solvent and 3 m LiFSI salt successfully supports the long‐term cycle stability of limited‐Li (50 µm)||high loading LiCoO2 (≈20 mg cm−2) cell at 4.6 V. Experiments and theoretical research results show that the outstanding performance of the electrolyte in high‐voltage LMBs is mainly attributed to its unique solvation structures and its great ability to build a highly stable and robust interphase on the surface of LMA and high‐voltage cathodes. Interestingly, this proposed electrolyte system builds a stable SEI film rich in LiF and Li3N on the surface of LMA by improving the two‐electron reduction activity of FSI− without adding LiNO3, the well‐known additive used for LMBs. The design idea of the proposed electrolyte can guide the development of high‐voltage LMBs.