An Inorganic-Rich Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Advanced Lithium-Metal Batteries in Carbonate Electrolytes.

In carbonate electrolytes, the organic-inorganic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed on the Li-metal anode surface is strongly bonded to Li and experiences the same volume change as Li, thus it undergoes continuous cracking/reformation during plating/stripping cycles. Here, an inorganic-rich SEI is designed on a Li-metal surface to reduce its bonding energy with Li metal by dissolving 4m concentrated LiNO in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an additive for a fluoroethylene-carbonate (FEC)-based electrolyte. Due to the aggregate structure of NO ions and their participation in the primary Li solvation sheath, abundant Li O, Li N, and LiN O grains are formed in the resulting SEI, in addition to the uniform LiF distribution from the reduction of PF ions.

Enabling safe aqueous lithium ion open batteries by suppressing oxygen reduction reaction.

Due to the non-flammable nature of water-based electrolytes, aqueous lithium-ion batteries are resistant to catching fire. However, they are not immune to the risk of explosion, since the sealing structure adopted by current batteries limits the dissipation of heat and pressure within the cells. Here, we report a safe aqueous lithium-ion battery with an open configuration using water-in-salt electrolytes and aluminum oxide coated anodes.

A Highly Reversible, Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anode Enabled by a Lithium-Fluoride-Enriched Interphase.

Metallic lithium is the most competitive anode material for next-generation lithium (Li)-ion batteries. However, one of its major issues is Li dendrite growth and detachment, which not only causes safety issues, but also continuously consumes electrolyte and Li, leading to low coulombic efficiency (CE) and short cycle life for Li metal batteries. Herein, the Li dendrite growth of metallic lithium anode is suppressed by forming a lithium fluoride (LiF)-enriched solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) through the lithiation of surface-fluorinated mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB-F) anodes.

Azo Compounds Derived from Electrochemical Reduction of Nitro Compounds for High Performance Li-Ion Batteries.

Organic compounds are desirable alternatives for sustainable lithium-ion battery electrodes. However, the electrochemical properties of state-of-the-art organic electrodes are still worse than commercial inorganic counterparts. Here, a new chemistry is reported based on the electrochemical conversion of nitro compounds to azo compounds for high performance lithium-ion batteries.

Existence of Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Mg Batteries: Mg/S Chemistry as an Example.

Magnesium redox chemistry is a very appealing "beyond Li ion chemistry" for realizing high energy density batteries due to the high capacity, low reduction potential, and most importantly, highly reversible and dendrite-free Mg metal anode. However, the progress of rechargeable Mg batteries has been greatly hindered by shortage of electrolytes with wide stability window, high ionic conductivity, and good compatibility with cathode materials. Unlike solid electrolyte interphase on Li metal anode, surface film formed by electrolyte decomposition in Mg batteries was considered to block Mg ion transport and passivate Mg electrode.

Self-Templated Formation of P2-type KCoO Microspheres for High Reversible Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Layered metal oxides have been widely used as the best cathode materials for commercial lithium-ion batteries and are being intensively explored for sodium-ion batteries. However, their application to potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) is hampered because of the poor cycling stability and low rate capability due to the larger ionic size of K than of Li or Na. Herein, a facile self-templated strategy was used to synthesize unique P2-type KCoO microspheres that consist of aggregated primary nanoplates as PIB cathodes.