A Diffusion‐‐Reaction Competition Mechanism to Tailor Lithium Deposition for Lithium‐Metal Batteries

Lithium metal is recognized as one of the most promising anode materials owing to its ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity and low electrochemical potential. Nonetheless, dendritic Li growth has dramatically hindered the practical applications of Li metal anodes. Realizing spherical Li deposition is an effective approach to avoid Li dendrite growth, but the mechanism of spherical deposition is unknown. Herein, a diffusion‐reaction competition mechanism is proposed to reveal the rationale of different Li deposition morphologies. By controlling the rate‐determining step (diffusion or reaction) of Li deposition, various Li deposition scenarios are realized, in which the diffusion‐controlled process tends to lead to dendritic Li deposition while the reaction‐controlled process leads to spherical Li deposition. This study sheds fresh light on the dendrite‐free Li metal anode and guides to achieve safe batteries to benefit future wireless and fossil‐fuel‐free world.     

Columnar Lithium Metal Anodes

The rechargeable lithium metal anode is of utmost importance for high‐energy‐density batteries. Regulating the deposition/dissolution characteristics of Li metal is critical in both fundamental researches and practical applications. In contrast to gray Li deposits featured with dendritic and mossy morphologies, columnar and uniform Li is herein plated on lithium‐fluoride (LiF)‐protected copper (Cu) current collectors. The electrochemical properties strongly depended on the microscale morphologies of deposited Li, which were further embodied as macroscale colors. The as‐obtained ultrathin and columnar Li anodes contributed to stable cycling in working batteries with a dendrite‐free feature. This work deepens the fundamental understanding of the role of LiF in the nucleation/growth of Li and provides emerging approaches to stabilize rechargeable Li metal anodes.     

锂金属负极的挑战与改善策略研究进展

锂金属由于其高比容量和低电极电势等优点被认为是下一代高比能量电池体系中最有潜力的负极材料。然而由于锂金属的高活性,锂负极在循环过程中会产生大量的枝晶,导致SEI(solid-electrolyte interphase)破裂,并且枝晶增加了电极与电解液的接触面积,使得副反应进一步增加。此外,脱落的枝晶形成死锂,从而降低电池的充放电库仑效率。并且不可控的锂枝晶持续生长会刺穿隔膜引发电池短路,伴随着电池热失控等安全问题。本综述基于锂负极存在的主要挑战,结合理解锂枝晶的成核生长模型等机理总结并深度分析近些年来在液态和固态电解质体系中改善锂金属负极的主要策略及其作用机理,为促进高比能量锂金属电池的应用提供借鉴参考作用。     

Advances in Artificial Layers for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal is considered as the most promising anode material for rechargeable high-energy batteries. Nevertheless, the practical implement of Li anodes is significantly hindered by the growth of Li dendrites, which can cause severe safety issues. To inhibit the formation of Li dendrites, coating an artificial layer on the Li metal anode has been shown to be a facile and effective approach. This review mainly focuses on recent advances in artificial layers for stable Li metal anodes. It summarizes the progress in this area and discusses the different types of artificial layers according to their mechanisms for Li dendrite inhibition, including regulation of uniform deposition of Li metal and suppression of Li dendrite growth. By doing this, it is hoped that this contribution will provide instructional guidance for the future design of new artificial layers.     

Cu3P纳米板阵列@泡沫铜三维骨架的原位构筑及其作为高性能锂金属负极

通过简单的原位生长法,将Cu3P纳米板阵列均匀负载在商业化的泡沫铜内部(NF?Cu3P@Cu),并用作锂金属负极的三维骨架载体材料。亲锂性的Cu3P纳米板阵列可以提供均匀且丰富的锂成核活性位点,诱导锂金属在NF?Cu3P@Cu内快速形核和均匀电沉积。同时,在电镀沉积锂时,Cu3P纳米板阵列会被锂化形成快离子导体Li3P,可以确保锂离子在复合负极中的快速均匀传输,从而有效抑制锂枝晶的形成。因此,获得的Li@NF?Cu3P@Cu复合负极材料在对称电池和全电池中,均表现出优异的循环稳定性。     

Lithiophilic Sites in Doped Graphene Guide Uniform Lithium Nucleation for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal is the most promising electrode for next-generation rechargeable batteries. However, the challenges induced by Li dendrites on a working Li metal anode hinder the practical applications of Li metal batteries. Herein, nitrogen (N) doped graphene was adopted as the Li plating matrix to regulate Li metal nucleation and suppress dendrite growth. The N-containing functional groups, such as pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen in the N-doped graphene, are lithiophilic, which guide the metallic Li nucleation causing the metal to distribute uniformly on the anode surface. As a result, the N-doped graphene modified Li metal anode exhibits a dendrite-free morphology during repeated Li plating and demonstrates a high Coulombic efficiency of 98 % for near 200 cycles.     

Cycling a Lithium Metal Anode at 90 °C in a Liquid Electrolyte

Stable operation at elevated temperature is necessary for lithium metal anode. However, Li metal anode generally has poor performance and safety concerns at high temperature (>55 °C) owing to the thermal instability of the electrolyte and solid electrolyte interphase in a routine liquid electrolyte. Herein a Li metal anode working at an elevated temperature (90 °C) is demonstrated in a thermotolerant electrolyte. In a Li|LiFePO₄ battery working at 90 °C, the anode undergoes 100 cycles compared with 10 cycles in a practical carbonate electrolyte. During the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase, independent and incomplete decomposition of Li salts and solvents aggravate. Some unstable intermediates emerge at 90 °C, degenerating the uniformity of Li deposition. This work not only demonstrates a working Li metal anode at 90 °C, but also provides fundamental understanding of solid electrolyte interphase and Li deposition at elevated temperature for rechargeable batteries.     

Cycling a Lithium Metal Anode at 90 °C in a Liquid Electrolyte

Stable operation at elevated temperature is necessary for lithium metal anode. However, Li metal anode generally has poor performance and safety concerns at high temperature (>55 °C) owing to the thermal instability of the electrolyte and solid electrolyte interphase in a routine liquid electrolyte. Herein a Li metal anode working at an elevated temperature (90 °C) is demonstrated in a thermotolerant electrolyte. In a Li|LiFePO₄ battery working at 90 °C, the anode undergoes 100 cycles compared with 10 cycles in a practical carbonate electrolyte. During the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase, independent and incomplete decomposition of Li salts and solvents aggravate. Some unstable intermediates emerge at 90 °C, degenerating the uniformity of Li deposition. This work not only demonstrates a working Li metal anode at 90 °C, but also provides fundamental understanding of solid electrolyte interphase and Li deposition at elevated temperature for rechargeable batteries.     

Columnar Lithium Metal Anodes

The rechargeable lithium metal anode is of utmost importance for high‐energy‐density batteries. Regulating the deposition/dissolution characteristics of Li metal is critical in both fundamental researches and practical applications. In contrast to gray Li deposits featured with dendritic and mossy morphologies, columnar and uniform Li is herein plated on lithium‐fluoride (LiF)‐protected copper (Cu) current collectors. The electrochemical properties strongly depended on the microscale morphologies of deposited Li, which were further embodied as macroscale colors. The as‐obtained ultrathin and columnar Li anodes contributed to stable cycling in working batteries with a dendrite‐free feature. This work deepens the fundamental understanding of the role of LiF in the nucleation/growth of Li and provides emerging approaches to stabilize rechargeable Li metal anodes.     

A Liquid/Liquid Electrolyte Interface that Inhibits Corrosion and Dendrite Growth of Lithium in Lithium‐Metal Batteries

A proof‐of‐concept study on a liquid/liquid (L/L) two‐phase electrolyte interface is reported by using the polarity difference of solvent for the protection of Li‐metal anode with long‐term operation over 2000 h. The L/L electrolyte interface constructed by non‐polar fluorosilicane (PFTOS) and conventionally polar dimethyl sulfoxide solvents can block direct contact between conventional electrolyte and Li anode, and consequently their side reactions can be significantly eliminated. Moreover, the homogeneous Li‐ion flow and Li‐mass deposition can be realized by the formation of a thin and uniform solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) composed of LiF, Li_xC, Li_xSiO_y between PFTOS and Li anode, as well as the super‐wettability state of PFTOS to Li anode, resulting in the suppression of Li dendrite formation. The cycling stability in a lithium–oxygen battery as a model is improved 4 times with the L/L electrolyte interface.     

A Flexible Solid Electrolyte Interphase Layer for Long‐Life Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal is a promising anode material for high‐energy density batteries. However, the unstable and static solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) can be destroyed by the dynamic Li plating/stripping behavior on the Li anode surface, leading to side reactions and Li dendrites growth. Herein, we design a smart Li polyacrylic acid (LiPAA) SEI layer high elasticity to address the dynamic Li plating/stripping processes by self‐adapting interface regulation, which is demonstrated by in situ AFM. With the high binding ability and excellent stability of the LiPAA polymer, the smart SEI can significantly reduce the side reactions and improve battery safety markedly. Stable cycling of 700 h is achieved in the LiPAA‐Li/LiPAA‐Li symmetrical cell. The innovative strategy of self‐adapting SEI design is broadly applicable, providing opportunities for use in Li metal anodes     

定量的复合金属锂作为三维泡沫锂电极用于锂电池的研究

金属锂作为电池的负极材料具有极高的比容量和极低的氧化还原电位,能够显著提升电池的能量密度。然而,金属锂负极在实际应用中所面临的主要问题是锂枝晶、界面副反应和电极体积变化大的难题。在本文中,我们提出了一种通过将定量的金属锂与三维骨架进行复合形成三维泡沫锂负极的策略,并利用三维泡沫锂来抑制锂枝晶的生长和缓解电极的体积变化。因此,三维泡沫锂电极有利于金属锂负极的高效利用,并能借助其与平面锂箔相比更高的比表面积和更多的反应位点来提升电池的倍率性能。因此,通过采用三维泡沫锂,对称电池的循环寿命和倍率性能都得到了有效的提升。EIS数据结果表明,三维泡沫锂能够减小对称电池的电荷转移阻抗。而且,将三维泡沫锂作为负极组装的LTO全电池,与锂箔作为负极相比,循环1000周平均放电比容量从65 mAh·g^-1提升至121 mAh·g^-1。     

电极界面浓差极化对锂金属沉积的影响

锂金属作为下一代高能量密度电池的理想负极材料受到研究人员广泛关注。然而,锂枝晶生长引起的安全隐患和循环寿命短等问题严重影响了锂金属电池的实用化进程。本文以电化学现象和理论为依据,从浓差极化角度详细分析锂金属电沉积过程中枝晶生长、死锂形成和全电池失效机制,并对目前研究较多的多孔宿主电极中的浓差极化及枝晶抑制进行分析,提出锂金属界面浓差电池现象。本文得到的结论为研究人员更深入地探究锂金属保护策略提供了理论依据。     

三维大孔/介孔碳-碳化钛复合材料用于无枝晶锂金属负极

金属锂具有超高的理论容量(3860 mAh·g^-1)和低氧化还原电位(-3.04 V vs.标准氢电极),是极具吸引力的下一代高能量密度电池的负极材料。然而,循环过程中的体积膨胀、锂枝晶生长和“死锂”等问题严重的限制了其实际应用。合理设计三维骨架调控金属锂的成核行为是抑制锂枝晶生长的有效策略。本文中,我们发展了一种“软硬双模板”的方法合成了兼具大孔和介孔的三维碳-碳化钛(Three-dimensional macro-/mesoporous C-TiC,表示为3DMM-C-TiC)复合材料。多级孔道为金属锂的沉积提供了足够的空间,缓冲充放电中巨大的体积变化。此外,TiC的引入显著增强多孔骨架的导电性,改善锂金属的成核行为,促进金属锂的均匀成核和沉积,抑制锂枝晶生长。3DMM-C-TiC||Li电池测试表明,在循环300圈以后,库伦效率仍保持在98%以上。此外,所得材料与LiFePO₄ (LFP)组成的全电池也表现出优异的倍率和循环性能。本工作为无枝晶锂金属负极的设计提供了新的思路。     

金属锂负极失效机制及其先进表征技术

尽管传统的石墨负极在商业化锂离子电池中取得了成功,但其理论容量低(372 mAh·g^?1)、本身不含锂的先天缺陷限制了其在下一代高比能量锂电池体系中的应用,特别是在需要锂源的锂-硫和锂-空气电池体系中。金属锂因其极高的理论比容量(3860 mAh·g^?1)和低氧化还原电势(相对于标准氢电极为?3.040 V),被认为是下一代锂电池负极材料的最佳选择之一。但是,金属锂负极存在库伦效率低、循环性能差、安全性差等一系列瓶颈问题亟待解决,而循环过程中锂枝晶的生长、巨大的体积变化、以及电极界面不稳定等是导致这些问题的关键因素。本文综述了近年来关于金属锂负极瓶颈问题及其机理,包括金属锂电极表面固态电解质界面膜的形成,锂枝晶的生长行为,以及惰性死锂的形成。同时,本文还介绍了目前用于研究金属锂负极的先进表征技术,这些技术为研究人员深入认识金属锂负极的失效机制提供了重要信息。     

金属锂负极的成核机制与载体修饰

金属锂具有电位低、比容量高等突出优点,是极具吸引力的下一代高能量密度电池的负极材料,然而存在枝晶、死锂、副反应严重、库伦效率低、循环稳定性差等问题,限制了其实际应用。金属锂负极的成核是电化学沉积过程中的重要步骤,锂在集流体或导电载体上的均匀成核和稳定生长对于抑制枝晶死锂、提高充放电效率和循环性能具有关键作用。本文从成核机制与载体效应的角度概述了锂金属负极的研究进展,介绍了锂成核驱动力、异相成核模型、空间电荷模型等内容,分析了锂核尺寸及分布与过电位和电流密度的关系,并通过三维载体分散电流密度、异相晶核/电场诱导成核、晶格匹配等方面的研究实例讨论了载体修饰对锂负极的性能提升。     

Fluorescence Probing of Active Lithium Distribution in Lithium Metal Anodes

The uncontrollable growth of Li dendrites and the accumulation of byproducts are two severe concerns for lithium metal batteries, which leads to safety hazards and a low Coulombic efficiency. To investigate the deterioration of the cell, it is important to figure out the distribution of active Li species on the anode surface and distinguish Li dendrites from byproducts. However, it is still challenging to identify these issues by conventional visual observation methods. In this work, we introduce a novel fluorescent probing strategy using 9,10‐dimethylanthracene (DMA). By marking the cycled Li‐anode surface, the active Li distribution can be visualized by the fluorescence quenching of DMA reacting with active Li. The method demonstrates validity for electrolyte selection and predictive detection of uneven Li deposition on Li metal anodes. Furthermore, the location of dendrites can be clearly identified after destructive utilization of the anode, which will contribute to the development of failure‐analysis technology for Li metal batteries.     

亲锂的三维二硫化锡@碳纤维布用于稳定的锂金属负极

金属锂由于其高的比容量,低的电极电势和轻质等特点被认为是下一代高能量密度锂金属二次电池负极材料的最佳选择。然而,充放电循环中不均匀的锂沉积会导致严重的体积变化和大量的锂枝晶形成,从而影响了电池的库伦效率甚至会带来严重的安全隐患。为此,本文设计了一种亲锂的三维二硫化锡@碳纤维布复合基底材料,并作为集流体将其应用于金属锂电池上。一者,高比表面积的三维碳纤维骨架可以适应充放电过程中的体积变化并且有效地降低局部电流密度,从而确保锂的均匀沉积。二者,表面修饰的SnS2层在锂沉积过程中可以形成Li-Sn合金界面层,诱导锂的沉积并降低过电势。最终,实验结果表明:使用所制备的复合集流体与金属锂搭配组成的半电池可以在5 mA·cm^-2的高电流密度下以>98%的库伦效率稳定循环100周以上。此外,在承载10 mAh·cm^-2的金属锂后,复合的锂负极无论是在对称电池还是与磷酸铁锂组装成的实际电池中,均可以在高的电流密度下实现稳定的循环。我们相信这一复合的集流体构建策略对于设计安全稳定的锂金属电池或器件具有重要意义。     

锂金属负极亲锂骨架的研究进展

随着电动汽车和便携式电子产品的快速发展, 人们对于高比能二次电池的需求越来越迫切. 锂金属以其极高的理论比容量和极低的电极电势被视为下一代高比能电池理想负极材料之一. 但是, 锂枝晶的生长及体积膨胀等问题限制了金属锂负极的实际应用. 在金属锂负极中引入三维骨架可以有效抑制锂枝晶生长, 缓解体积膨胀. 其中亲锂骨架可以降低锂的形核能垒, 诱导锂的均匀成核, 更加有效地调控锂沉积行为. 本文结合国内外的研究进展总结了锂金属负极中亲锂骨架的研究成果. 根据亲锂材料的不同对亲锂骨架进行了分类, 总结了各类亲锂骨架在调控锂沉积行为和提高电池性能方面取得的成果, 并对其今后的研究和发展进行了展望.     

Strategic Approaches to the Dendritic Growth and Interfacial Reaction of Lithium Metal Anode

Utilization of lithium (Li) metal anode is highly desirable for achieving high energy density batteries. Even so, the unavoidable features of Li dendritic growth and inactive Li are still the main factors that hinder its practical application. During plating and stripping, the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer can provide passivation, playing an important role in preventing direct contact between the electrolyte and the electrode in Li metal batteries. Because of complexities of the electrolyte chemical and electrochemical reactions, the various formation mechanisms for the SEI are still not well understood. What we do know is that a strategic artificial SEI achieved through additives electrolyte can suppress the Li dendrites. Otherwise, the dendrites keep generating an abundance of irreversible Li, resulting in severe capacity loss, internal short-circuiting, and cell failure. In this minireview, we focus on the phenomenon of dendritic Li-growth and provide a brief overview of SEI formation. We finally provide some clear insights and perspectives toward practical application of Li metal batteries.