Electrolyte design weakens lithium-ion solvation for a fast-charging and long-cycling Si anode.

Silicon (Si) is considered a promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity and earth-abundancy. However, challenges such as significant volume expansion, unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation in incompatible electrolytes, and slow lithium-ion transport lead to its poor cycling and rate performance. In this work, it is demonstrated that superior cyclability and rate capability of Si anodes can be achieved using ethyl fluoroacetate (EFA) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) solvents with low binding energy with Li but with sufficiently high relative dielectric constants.