Premium
Dendrite‐Free Epitaxial Growth of Lithium Metal during Charging in Li–O 2 Batteries
Author(s) -
Xin Xing,
Ito Kimihiko,
Dutta Arghya,
Kubo Yoshimi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201808154
Subject(s) - electrolyte , passivation , dendrite (mathematics) , lithium (medication) , electroplating , metal , plating (geology) , epitaxy , chemistry , layer (electronics) , materials science , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , stripping (fiber) , interphase , lithium metal , electrode , nanotechnology , metallurgy , composite material , medicine , geometry , mathematics , endocrinology , geophysics , geology , engineering , biology , genetics
Lithium (Li) dendrite formation is one of the major hurdles limiting the development of Li‐metal batteries, including Li‐O 2 batteries. Herein, we report the first observation of the dendrite‐free epitaxial growth of a Li metal up to 10‐μm thick during charging (plating) in the LiBr‐LiNO 3 dual anion electrolyte under O 2 atmosphere. This phenomenon is due to the formation of an ultrathin and homogeneous Li 2 O‐rich solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer in the preceding discharge (stripping) process, where the corrosive nature of Br − seems to give rise to remove the original incompact passivation layer and NO 3 − oxidizes (passivates) the freshly formed Li surface to prevent further reactions with the electrolyte. Such reactions keep the SEI thin (<100 nm) and facilitates the electropolishing effect and gets ready for the epitaxial electroplating of Li in the following charge process.