Locally Fluorinated Electrolyte Medium Layer for High-Performance Anode-Free Li-Metal Batteries.

Low cycling Coulombic efficiency (CE) and messy Li dendrite growth problems have greatly hindered the development of anode-free Li-metal batteries (AFLBs). Thus, functional electrolytes for uniform lithium deposition and lithium/electrolyte side reaction suppression are desired. Here, we report a locally fluorinated electrolyte (LFE) medium layer surrounding Cu foils to tailor the chemical compositions of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) in AFLBs for inhibiting the immoderate Li dendrite growth and to suppress the interfacial reaction.

A Shuttle-Free Solid-State Cu-Li Battery Based on a Sandwich-Structured Electrolyte.

Cu-Li batteries leveraging the two-electron redox property of Cu can offer high energy density and low cost. However, Cu-Li batteries are plagued by limited solubility and a shuttle effect of Cu ions in traditional electrolytes, which leads to low energy density and poor cycling stability. In this work, we rationally design a solid-state sandwich electrolyte for solid-state Cu-Li batteries, in which a deep-eutectic-solvent gel with high Cu-ion solubility is devised as a Cu-ion reservoir while a ceramic Li Al Ti (PO ) interlayer is used to block Cu-ion crossover.

Constructing robust polymer/two-dimensional TiCT solid-state electrolyte interphase via in-situ polymerization for high-capacity long-life and dendrite-free lithium metal anodes.

We constructed an artificial polymer/two-dimensional TiCT (MXene) solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on a Li metal surface via an in-situ polymerization strategy. The polymer layer provides excellent interface contact and outstanding adaptability for the volume expansion of Li metal, decreasing interface impedance. On the other hand, the two-dimensional MXene with a low Li nucleation energy barrier is beneficial for uniform Li deposition and restraint of interfacial side reactions.

Realizing High-Performance Li-S Batteries through Additive Manufactured and Chemically Enhanced Cathodes.

Numerous efforts are made to improve the reversible capacity and long-term cycling stability of Li-S cathodes. However, they are susceptible to irreversible capacity loss during cycling owing to shuttling effects and poor Li transport under high sulfur loading. Herein, a physically and chemically enhanced lithium sulfur cathode is proposed to address these challenges.

Efficient capture and conversion of polysulfides by zinc protoporphyrin framework-embedded triple-layer nanofiber separator for advanced Li-S batteries.

The practical application of Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is significantly inhibited by (i) the notable 'shuttle effect' of lithium polysulfides (LiPS), (ii) the corrosion of the lithium interface, and (iii) the sluggish redox reaction kinetics. The functional separator in the Li-S battery has the potential to provide the perfect solution to these problems. Herein a triple-layer multifunctional PVDF-based nanofiber separator, which contains GoTiN/PVDF layer on the top and bottom and ZnTPP/PVDF layer on the middle, is designed.

Unveiling the Interfacial Instability of the Phosphorus/Carbon Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

As a competitive anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), a commercially available red phosphorus, featured with a high theoretical capacity (2596 mA h g) and a suitable operating voltage plateau (0.1-0.6 V), has been confronted with a severe structural instability and a rapid capacity degradation upon large volumetric change.

Insight into the Microstructure and Ionic Conductivity of Cold Sintered NASICON Solid Electrolyte for Solid-State Batteries.

LiAlTi(PO) (LATP) is a popular solid electrolyte used in solid-state lithium batteries due to its high ionic conductivity. Traditionally, the densification of LATP is achieved by a high-temperature sintering process (about 1000 °C). Herein, we report the compaction of LATP by a newly developed cold sintering process and post-annealing.

Promoting the Transformation of Li S to Li S: Significantly Increasing Utilization of Active Materials for High-Sulfur-Loading Li-S Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with high sulfur loading are urgently required in order to take advantage of their high theoretical energy density. Ether-based Li-S batteries involve sophisticated multistep solid-liquid-solid-solid electrochemical reaction mechanisms. Recently, studies on Li-S batteries have widely focused on the initial solid (sulfur)-liquid (soluble polysulfide)-solid (Li S ) conversion reactions, which contribute to the first 50% of the theoretical capacity of the Li-S batteries.

Mitigating the Interfacial Degradation in Cathodes for High-Performance Oxide-Based Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) are the promising next-generation energy storage systems because of their attractive advantages in terms of energy density and safety. However, the interfacial engineering and battery building are of huge challenges, especially for stiff oxide-based electrolytes. Herein, we construct SSLBs by a cosintering method using LiBO as a sintering agent to bind the cathode materials LiNiMnCoO (NMC) and solid-state electrolytes LiLaZrTaO.

A Novel Organic "Polyurea" Thin Film for Ultralong-Life Lithium-Metal Anodes via Molecular-Layer Deposition.

Metallic Li is considered as one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and low electrochemical potential. However, its commercialization has been impeded by the severe safety issues associated with Li-dendrite growth. Non-uniform Li-ion flux on the Li-metal surface and the formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during the Li plating/stripping process lead to the growth of dendritic and mossy Li structures that deteriorate the cycling performance and can cause short-circuits.

High-Performance and Recyclable Al-Air Coin Cells Based on Eco-friendly Chitosan Hydrogel Membranes.

Aluminum-air batteries are a promising power supply for electronics due to their low cost and high energy density. However, portable coin-type Al-air batteries operating under ambient air condition for small electronic appliances have rarely been reported. Herein, coin cell-type Al-air batteries using cost-effective and eco-friendly chitosan hydrogel membranes modified by SiO, SnO, and ZnO have been prepared and assembled.

High Capacity, Dendrite-Free Growth, and Minimum Volume Change Na Metal Anode.

Na metal anode attracts increasing attention as a promising candidate for Na metal batteries (NMBs) due to the high specific capacity and low potential. However, similar to issues faced with the use of Li metal anode, crucial problems for metallic Na anode remain, including serious moss-like and dendritic Na growth, unstable solid electrolyte interphase formation, and large infinite volume changes. Here, the rational design of carbon paper (CP) with N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) as a 3D host to obtain Na@CP-NCNTs composites electrodes for NMBs is demonstrated.