First-principles study of the effect of mechanical strength on ion transport in La-doped LiF-SEI on the Li (001) surface

The solid electrolyte interface (SEI) plays an important role in the lithium–sulfur battery system. It not only protects the stability of the lithium metal anode interface but also inhibits the growth of lithium dendrites during charge and discharge. The relationship between the shape of the SEI and the transport behavior of lithium ions affects the homogeneity of lithium dendrites. In this work, first-principles calculations are used to determine the stable structure and transport properties of the La-doped LiF solid electrolyte interface (La–LiF SEI) on the Li substrate. For the vertical transport of Li ions within the La–LiF SEI, the transport of Li ions in the grain boundary and that in the crystal grain was calculated separately. Regarding the plane diffusion behavior of Li ions between the La–LiF SEI and the lithium anode, the diffusion of Li ions on the surface and interface of the lithium anode were calculated. The effect of critical tensile strain on the diffusion of Li ions on the surface and interface was investigated. The results show that doping with La solves the problem of excessive periodic grain boundary gaps caused by the difference between LiF and Li lattices during the deposition process. The periodic gap is reduced from 0.478 nm to 0.306 nm after La doping. By comparing the migration energy barriers of each path, it is found that lithium ions are more likely to be inserted and extracted at the La–LiF SEI grain boundary. The reason is that the existence of the rare earth element La causes the grain boundary to have a more stable vacancy structure and a smaller transport energy barrier (0.789 eV). The critical tensile strain reduces the diffusion energy barrier (0.813 eV) of Li ions on the surface of the lithium metal anode, which promotes the fast diffusion and uniform deposition of Li ions between the interfaces. The establishment of SEI transport characteristics under the coupling conditions of mechanical stretching and ion transport is expected to improve the Li deposition behavior.