An Artificial Lithium Protective Layer that Enables the Use of Acetonitrile-Based Electrolytes in Lithium Metal Batteries.

The resurgence of the lithium metal battery requires innovations in technology, including the use of non-conventional liquid electrolytes. The inherent electrochemical potential of lithium metal (-3.04 V vs.

Structural Transformation of LiFePO during Ultrafast Delithiation.

The prolific lithium battery electrode material lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO) stores and releases lithium ions by undergoing a crystallographic phase change. Nevertheless, it performs unexpectedly well at high rate and exhibits good cycling stability. We investigate here the ultrafast charging reaction to resolve the underlying mechanism while avoiding the limitations of prevailing electrochemical methods by using a gaseous oxidant to deintercalate lithium from the LiFePO structure.