Phys.org June 1, 2021
Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have high energy density that exceeds lithium batteries (LIBs) by an order of magnitude. The key difference lies in the choice of anode material: LIBs use graphite leading to the formation of dendrites, whereas LMBs use lithium metal. Researchers in South Korea adopted a novel approach in which they pre-planted LiNO3 in the lithium metal powder (LMP) itself during the electrode fabrication process, allowing them to fabricate ~150-mm-wide and 20-ÎĽm-thick electrodes, which showed a coulombic efficiency of 96%. The addition of LiNO3 to LMP accomplished two things: it induced a uniform N-rich SEI on the LMP surface and led to its sustained stabilization over prolonged cycling as LiNO3 was steadily released into the electrolyte. In fact, LMBs with LiNO3 pre-planted LMP (LN-LMP) demonstrated an outstanding cycling performance, with 87% capacity retention over 450 cycles, outperforming even cells with LiNO3-added electrolytes…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE