An Upgraded Lithium Ion Battery Based on a Polymeric Separator Incorporated with Anode Active Materials

Structural/compositional characteristics at the anode/electrolyte interface are of paramount importance for the practical performance of lithium ion batteries, including cyclic stability, rate capacity, and operational safety. The anode‐electrolyte interface with traditional separator technology is featured with inevitable phase discontinuity and fails to support the stable operation of lithium ion batteries based on large‐capacity anodes with structural change in charges/discharges, such as transition metal oxide anodes. In this work, an anode/electrolyte framework based on an oxide anode and an active‐oxide‐incorporated separator is proposed for the first time and investigated for lithium ion batteries. The architecture builds a robust anode‐separator interface in LIBs, shortens Li⁺ diffusion path, accelerates electron transport, and mitigates the volume change of the oxide anode in electrochemical reactions. Remarkably, 4 wt% CuO addition in the separator leads to a 17% enhancement in the overall capacity of a battery with a CuO anode. The battery delivers an unparalleled record reversible capacity of 637.2 mAh g^?1 with a 99% capacity retention after 100 charge/discharge cycles at 0.5 C. The high performance are attributed to the robust anode‐separator interface, which gives rise to enhanced interaction between the oxide anode and the same‐oxide‐incorporated composite in the separator.     

Enhanced Cyclability of Lithium–Oxygen Batteries with Electrodes Protected by Surface Films Induced via In Situ Electrochemical Process

Although the rechargeable lithium–oxygen (Li–O₂) batteries have extremely high theoretical specific energy, the practical application of these batteries is still limited by the instability of their carbon‐based air‐electrode, Li metal anode, and electrodes, toward reduced oxygen species. Here a simple one‐step in situ electrochemical precharging strategy is demonstrated to generate thin protective films on both carbon nanotubes (CNTs), air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes simultaneously under an inert atmosphere. Li–O₂ cells after such pretreatment demonstrate significantly extended cycle life of 110 and 180 cycles under the capacity‐limited protocol of 1000 mA h g^?1 and 500 mA h g^?1, respectively, which is far more than those without pretreatment. The thin‐films formed from decomposition of electrolyte during in situ electrochemical precharging processes in an inert environment, can protect both CNTs air‐electrode and Li metal anode prior to conventional Li–O₂ discharge/charge cycling, where reactive reduced oxygen species are formed. This work provides a new approach for protection of carbon‐based air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes in practical Li–O₂ batteries, and may also be applied to other battery systems.     

Electrochemical Performance of Porous Carbon/Tin Composite Anodes for Sodium‐Ion and Lithium‐Ion Batteries

The electrochemical performance of mesoporous carbon (C)/tin (Sn) anodes in Na‐ion and Li‐ion batteries is systematically investigated. The mesoporous C/Sn anodes in a Na‐ion battery shows similar cycling stability but lower capacity and poorer rate capability than that in a Li‐ion battery. The desodiation potentials of Sn anodes are approximately 0.21 V lower than delithiation potentials. The low capacity and poor rate capability of C/Sn anode in Na‐ion batteries is mainly due to the large Na‐ion size, resulting in slow Na‐ion diffusion and large volume change of porous C/Sn composite anode during alloy/dealloy reactions. Understanding of the reaction mechanism between Sn and Na ions will provide insight towards exploring and designing new alloy‐based anode materials for Na‐ion batteries.     

An Advanced Separator for Li–O2 Batteries: Maximizing the Effect of Redox Mediators

Although Li–O₂ batteries are promising next‐generation energy storage systems with superior theoretical capacities, they have a serious limitation regarding the large overpotential upon charging that results from the low conductivity of the discharge product. Thus, various redox mediators (RMs) have been widely studied to reduce the overpotential in the charging process, which should promote the oxidation of Li₂O₂. However, RMs degrade the Li metal anode through a parasitic reaction between the RM and the Li metal, and a solution for this phenomenon is necessary. In this study, an effective method is proposed to prevent the migration of the RM toward the anode side of the lithium using a separator that is modified with a negatively charged polymer. When DMPZ (5,10‐dihydro‐5,10‐dimethylphenazine) is used as an RM, it is found that the modified separator suppresses the migration of DMPZ toward the counter electrode of the Li metal anode. This is investigated by a visual redox couple diffusion test, a morphological investigation, and an X‐ray diffraction study. This advanced separator effectively maximizes the catalytic activity of the redox mediator. Li–O₂ batteries using both a highly concentrated DMPZ and the modified separator exhibit improved performance and maintained 90% round‐trip efficiency up to the 20th cycle.     

From Lithium‐Oxygen to Lithium‐Air Batteries: Challenges and Opportunities

Lithium ‐ air batteries have become a focus of research on future battery technologies. Technical issues associated with lithium‐air batteries, however, are rather complex. Apart from the sluggish oxygen reaction kinetics which demand efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts, issues are also inherited from the nature of an open battery system and the use of reactive metal lithium as anode. Lithium‐air batteries, which exchange oxygen directly with ambient air, face more challenges due to the additional oxidative agents of moisture, carbon dioxide, etc. which degrade the metal lithium anode, deteriorating the performance of the batteries. In order to improve the cycling performance one must hold a full picture of lithium‐oxygen electrochemistry in the presence of carbon dioxide and/or moisture and fully understand the fundamentals of chemistry reactions therein. Recent advances in the exploration of the effect of moisture and CO₂ contaminants on Li‐O₂ batteries are reviewed, and the mechanistic understanding of discharge/charge process in O₂ at controlled level of moisture and/or CO₂ are illustrated. Prospects for development opportunities of Li‐air batteries, insight into future research directions, and guidelines for the further development of rechargeable Li‐air batteries are also given.     

Toward a High‐Performance All‐Plastic Full Battery with a'Single Organic Polymer as Both Cathode and Anode

The design and fabrication of high‐performance all‐plastic batteries is essentially important to achieve future flexible electronics. A major challenge in this field is the lack of stable and reliable soft organic electrodes with satisfactory performance. Here, a novel all‐plastic‐electrode based Li‐ion battery with a single flexible bi‐functional ladderized heterocyclic poly(quinone), (C₆O₂S₂)_n, as both cathode and anode is demonstrated. Benefiting from its unique ladder‐like quinone and dithioether structure, the as‐prepared polymer cathode shows a high energy density of 624 Wh kg^?1 (vs lithium anode) and a stable battery life of 1000 cycles. Moreover, the as‐fabricated symmetric full‐battery delivers a large capacity of 249 mAh g^?1 (at 20 mA g^?1), a good capacity retention of 119 mAh g^?1 after 250 cycles (at 1.0 A g^?1) and a noteworthy energy density up to 276 Wh kg^?1. The superior performance of poly(2,3‐dithiino‐1,4‐benzoquinone)‐based electrode rivals most of the state‐of‐the‐art demonstrations on organic‐based metal‐ion shuttling batteries. The study provides an effective strategy to develop stable bi‐functional electrode materials toward the next‐generation of high performance all‐plastic batteries.     

Hybrid and Aqueous Lithium‐Air Batteries

Lithium‐air (Li‐air) batteries have become attractive because of their extremely high theoretical energy density. However, conventional Li‐air cells operating with non‐aqueous electrolytes suffer from poor cycle life and low practical energy density due to the clogging of the porous air cathode by insoluble discharge products, contamination of the organic electrolyte and lithium metal anode by moist air, and decomposition of the electrolyte during cycling. These difficulties may be overcome by adopting a cell configuration that consists of a lithium‐metal anode protected from air by a Li⁺‐ion solid electrolyte and an air electrode in an aqueous catholyte. In this type of configuration, a Li⁺‐ion conducting “buffer” layer between the lithium‐metal anode and the solid electrolyte is often necessary due to the instability of many solid electrolytes in contact with lithium metal. Based on the type of buffer layer, two different battery configurations are possible: “hybrid” Li‐air batteries and “aqueous” Li‐air batteries. The hybrid and aqueous Li‐air batteries utilize the same battery chemistry and face similar challenges that limit the cell performance. Here, an overview of recent developments in hybrid and aqueous Li‐air batteries is provided and the factors that influence their performance and impede their practical applications, followed by future directions are discussed.     

SiO2 Hollow Nanosphere‐Based Composite Solid Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries to Suppress Lithium Dendrite Growth and Enhance Cycle Life

The low Coulombic efficiency and serious security issues of lithium (Li) metal anode caused by uncontrollable Li dendrite growth have permanently prevented its practical application. A novel SiO₂ hollow nanosphere‐based composite solid electrolyte (SiSE) for Li metal batteries is reported. This hierarchical electrolyte is fabricated via in situ polymerizing the tripropylene gycol diacrylate (TPGDA) monomer in the presence of liquid electrolyte, which is absorbed in a SiO₂ hollow nanosphere layer. The polymerized TPGDA framework keeps the prepared SiSE in a quasi‐solid state without safety risks caused by electrolyte leakage, meanwhile the SiO₂ layer not only acts as a mechanics‐strong separator but also provides the SiSE with high room‐temperature ionic conductivity (1.74 × 10^?3 S cm^?1) due to the high pore volume (1.49 cm³ g^?1) and large liquid electrolyte uptake of SiO₂ hollow nanospheres. When the SiSE is in situ fabricated on the cathode and applied to LiFePO₄/SiSE/Li batteries, the obtained cells show a significant improvement in cycling stability, mainly attributed to the stable electrode/electrolyte interface and remarkable suppression for Li dendrite growth by the SiSE. This work can extend the application of hollow nanooxide and enable a safe, efficient operation of Li anode in next generation energy storage systems.     

Ultrathin,Flexible Polymer Electrolyte for Cost‐Effective Fabrication of All‐Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries

All‐solid‐state batteries are promising candidates for the next‐generation safer batteries. However, a number of obstacles have limited the practical application of all‐solid‐state Li batteries (ASSLBs), such as moderate ionic conductivity at room temperature. Here, unlike most of the previous approaches, superior performances of ASSLBs are achieved by greatly reducing the thickness of the solid‐state electrolyte (SSE), where ionic conductivity is no longer a limiting factor. The ultrathin SSE (7.5 µm) is developed by integrating the low‐cost polyethylene separator with polyethylene oxide (PEO)/Li‐salt (PPL). The ultrathin PPL shortens Li⁺ diffusion time and distance within the electrolyte, and provides sufficient Li⁺ conductance for batteries to operate at room temperature. The robust yet flexible polyethylene offers mechanical support for the soft PEO/Li‐salt, effectively preventing short‐circuits even under mechanical deformation. Various ASSLBs with PPL electrolyte show superior electrochemical performance. An initial capacity of 135 mAh g^?1 at room temperature and the high‐rate capacity up to 10 C at 60 °C can be achieved in LiFePO₄/PPL/Li batteries. The high‐energy‐density sulfur cathode and MoS₂ anode employing PPL electrolyte also realize remarkable performance. Moreover, the ASSLB can be assembled by a facile process, which can be easily scaled up to mass production.     

Stable Li–Organic Batteries with Nafion‐Based Sandwich‐Type Separators

Similar to Li–S batteries, Li–organic batteries have also been plagued by the dissolution of active materials and the resulting shuttle effect for many years. An effective strategy to eliminate the shuttle effect is adopting solid electrolytes or Li–ion permselective separators to prohibit the dissolved electroactive species from migrating to the Li anode. A polypropylene/Nafion/polypropylene (PNP) sandwich‐type separator is reported with many advantages in comparison with previously reported LISICON, polymer electrolyte, and other Nafion utilization forms. The physical and chemical properties of PNP separators are studied in detail by cross‐section scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. 1,1′‐Iminodianthraquinone (IDAQ), a novel organic cathode, is taken as an example to quantitatively investigate the function of PNP separators. In the presence of PNP5 with the most appropriate Nafion loading of 0.5 mg cm^–2, IDAQ is able to achieve dramatically improved cycling stability with capacity retention of 76% after 400 cycles and Coulombic efficiency above 99.6%, which reaches the highest level for reported soluble organic electrode materials. Besides Li–organic batteries, such kind of Nafion‐based sandwich‐type separators are also promising for Li–S batteries and other new battery designs involving dissolved electroactive species.     

Interface‐Engineered All‐Solid‐State Li‐Ion Batteries Based on Garnet‐Type Fast Li+ Conductors

All‐solid‐state Li‐ion batteries based on Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) garnet structures require novel electrode assembly strategies to guarantee a proper Li⁺ transfer at the electrode–electrolyte interfaces. Here, first stable cell performances are reported for Li‐garnet, c‐Li_6.25Al_0.25La₃Zr₂O₁₂, all‐solid‐state batteries running safely with a full ceramics setup, exemplified with the anode material Li₄Ti₅O₁₂. Novel strategies to design an enhanced Li⁺ transfer at the electrode–electrolyte interface using an interface‐engineered all‐solid‐state battery cell based on a porous garnet electrolyte interface structure, in which the electrode material is intimately embedded, are presented. The results presented here show for the first time that all‐solid‐state Li‐ion batteries with LLZO electrolytes can be reversibly charge–discharge cycled also in the low potential ranges (≈1.5 V) for combinations with a ceramic anode material. Through a model experiment, the interface between the electrode and electrolyte constituents is systematically modified revealing that the interface engineering helps to improve delivered capacities and cycling properties of the all‐solid‐state Li‐ion batteries based on garnet‐type cubic LLZO structures.     

Interface Engineering of MXene Composite Separator for High‐Performance Li–Se and Na–Se Batteries

Selenium (Se), due to its high electronic conductivity and high energy density, has recently attracted considerable interest as a cathode material for rechargeable Li/Na batteries. However, the poor cycling stability originating from the severe shuttle effect of polyselenides hinders their practical applications. Herein, highly stable Li/Na–Se batteries are developed using ultrathin (≈270 nm, loading of 0.09 mg cm^?2) cetrimonium bromide (CTAB)/carbon nanotube (CNT)/Ti₃C₂T_x MXene hybrid modified polypropylene (PP) (CCNT/MXene/PP) separators. The hybrid separator can immobilize the polyselenides via enhanced Lewis acid–base interactions between CTAB/MXene and polyselenides, which is demonstrated by theoretical calculations and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The incorporation of CNT helps to improve the electrolyte infiltration and facilitate the ionic transport. In situ permeation experiments are conducted for the first time to visually study the behavior of polyselenides, revealing the prohibited shuttle effect and protected Li anode from corrosion with CCNT/MXene/PP separators. As a result, the Li–Se batteries with CCNT/MXene/PP separators deliver an outstanding cycling performance over 500 cycles at 1C with an extremely low capacity decay of 0.05% per cycle. Moreover, the hybrid separators also perform well in Na–Se batteries. This study develops a preferable separator–electrolyte interface and the concept can be applied in other conversion‐type battery systems.     

Nonwoven rGO Fiber‐Aramid Separator for High‐Speed Charging and Discharging of Li Metal Anode

Li metal, which has a high theoretical specific capacity and low redox potential, is considered to the most promising anode material for next‐generation Li ion‐based batteries. However, it also exhibits a disadvantageous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer problem that needs to be resolved. Herein, an advanced separator composed of reduced graphene oxide fiber attached to aramid paper (rGOF‐A) is introduced. When rGOF‐A is applied, F^? anions, generated from the decomposition of the LiPF₆ electrolyte during the SEI layer formation process form semi‐ionic C? F bonds along the surface of rGOF. As Li⁺ ions are plated, the “F‐doped” rGO surface induces the formation of LiF, which is known as a component of a chemically stable SEI, therefore it helps the Li metal anode to operate stably at a high current of 20 mA cm^?2 with a high capacity of 20 mAh cm^?2. The proposed rGOF‐A separator successfully achieves a stable SEI layer that could resolve the interfacial issues of the Li metal anode.     

Autonomic Shutdown of Lithium‐Ion Batteries Using Thermoresponsive Microspheres

Autonomic, thermally‐induced shutdown of Lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries is demonstrated by incorporating thermoresponsive polymer microspheres (ca. 4 μm) onto battery anodes or separators. When the internal battery environment reaches a critical temperature, the microspheres melt and coat the anode/separator with a nonconductive barrier, halting Li‐ion transport and shutting down the cell permanently. Three functionalization schemes are shown to perform cell shutdown: 1) poly(ethylene) (PE) microspheres coated on the anode, 2) paraffin wax microspheres coated on the anode, and 3) PE microspheres coated on the separator. Charge and discharge capacity is measured for Li‐ion coin cells containing microsphere‐coated anodes or separators as a function of capsule coverage. For PE coated on the anode, the initial capacity of the battery is unaffected by the presence of the PE microspheres up to a coverage of 12 mg cm^?2 (when cycled at 1C), and full shutdown (>98% loss of initial capacity) is achieved in cells containing greater than 3.5 mg cm^?2. For paraffin microspheres coated on the anode and PE microspheres coated on the separator, shutdown is achieved in cells containing coverages greater than 2.9 and 13.7 mg cm^?2, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images of electrode surfaces from cells that have undergone autonomic shutdown provides evidence of melting, wetting, and resolidification of PE into the anode and polymer film formation at the anode/separator interface.     

Towards a Stable Organic Electrolyte for the Lithium Oxygen Battery

A new lithium‐ether‐derived chelate ionic liquid is synthesized to serve as an electrolyte for the Li‐O₂ battery that is stable to metallic lithium, and whose ethereal framework is much more inherently stable to superoxide‐initiated hydrogen abstraction than the simple glyme, dimethoxyethane (DME). Reactions of chemically generated superoxide with this electrolyte show that virtually no decomposition products such as lithium formate are generated. When the electrolyte is employed in a Li‐O₂ battery, a ten‐fold decrease in CO₂ evolution is evident on charge by comparison to DME and greatly enhanced cycling stability is observed with TiC as a cathode support. A mechanism is proposed to account for the lowered reactivity, offering new insight into the stability of organic electrolytes in Li‐O₂ batteries. This approach for electrolyte design is presented here for the first time, and it can be extended to other organic systems to provide a platform for the design of advanced electrolyte systems.     

Na‐Ion Batteries for Large Scale Applications: A Review on Anode Materials and Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation

The urgent need for optimizing the available energy through smart grids and efficient large‐scale energy storage systems is pushing the construction and deployment of Li‐ion batteries in the MW range which, in the long term, are expected to hit the GW dimension while demanding over 1000 ton of positive active material per system. This amount of Li‐based material is equivalent to almost 1% of current Li consumption and can strongly influence the evolution of the lithium supply and cost. Given this uncertainty, it becomes mandatory to develop an energy storage technology that depends on almost infinite and widespread resources: Na‐ion batteries are the best technology for large‐scale applications. With small working cells in the market that cannot compete in cost ($/W h) with commercial Li‐ion batteries, the consolidation of Na‐ion batteries mainly depends on increasing their energy density and stability, the negative electrodes being at the heart of these two requirements. Promising Na‐based negative electrodes for large‐scale battery applications are reviewed, along with the study of the solid electrolyte interphase formed in the anode surface, which is at the origin of most of the stability problems.     

Oxygen Release Degradation in Li‐Ion Battery Cathode Materials: Mechanisms and Mitigating Approaches

Widespread application of Li‐ion batteries (LIBs) in large‐scale transportation and grid storage systems requires highly stable and safe performance of the batteries in prolonged and diverse service conditions. Oxygen release from oxygen‐containing positive electrode materials is one of the major structural degradations resulting in rapid capacity/voltage fading of the battery and triggering the parasitic thermal runaway events. Herein, the authors summarize the recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of the oxygen release phenomena and correlative structural degradations observed in four major groups of cathode materials: layered, spinel, olivine, and Li‐rich cathodes. In addition, the engineering and materials design approaches that improve the structural integrity of the cathode materials and minimize the detrimental O₂ evolution reaction are summarized. The authors believe that this review can guide researchers on developing mitigation strategies for the design of next‐generation oxygen‐containing cathode materials where the oxygen release is no longer a major degradation issue.     

Polysulfide‐Shuttle Control in Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries with a Chemically/Electrochemically Compatible NaSICON‐Type Solid Electrolyte

A NaSICON‐type Li⁺‐ion conductive membrane with a formula of Li_{1+ x} Y _x Zr_{2? x} (PO₄)₃ (LYZP) (x = 0–0.15) has been explored as a solid‐electrolyte/separator to suppress polysulfide‐crossover in lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries. The LYZP membrane with a reasonable Li⁺‐ion conductivity shows both favorable chemical compatibility with the lithium polysulfide species and exhibits good electrochemical stability under the operating conditions of the Li‐S batteries. Through an integration of the LYZP solid electrolyte with the liquid electrolyte, the hybrid Li‐S batteries show greatly enhanced cyclability in contrast to the conventional Li‐S batteries with the porous polymer (e.g., Celgard) separator. At a rate of C/5, the hybrid Li ||LYZP|| Li₂S₆ batteries developed in this study (with a Li‐metal anode, a liquid/LYZP hybrid electrolyte, and a dissolved lithium polysulfide cathode) delivers an initial discharge capacity of ≈1000 mA h g^?1 (based on the active sulfur material) and retains ≈90% of the initial capacity after 150 cycles with a low capacity fade‐rate of <0.07% per cycle.     

Designing Safe Electrolyte Systems for a High‐Stability Lithium–Sulfur Battery

Safety, nontoxicity, and durability directly determine the applicability of the essential characteristics of the lithium (Li)‐ion battery. Particularly, for the lithium–sulfur battery, due to the low ignition temperature of sulfur, metal lithium as the anode material, and the use of flammable organic electrolytes, addressing security problems is of increased difficulty. In the past few years, two basic electrolyte systems are studied extensively to solve the notorious safety issues. One system is the conventional organic liquid electrolyte, and the other is the inorganic solid‐state or quasi‐solid‐state composite electrolyte. Here, the recent development of engineered liquid electrolytes and design considerations for solid electrolytes in tackling these safety issues are reviewed to ensure the safety of electrolyte systems between sulfur cathode materials and the lithium‐metal anode. Specifically, strategies for designing and modifying liquid electrolytes including introducing gas evolution, flame, aqueous, and dendrite‐free electrolytes are proposed. Moreover, the considerations involving a high‐performance Li⁺ conductor, air‐stable Li⁺ conductors, and stable interface performance between the sulfur cathode and the lithium anode for developing all‐solid‐state electrolytes are discussed. In the end, an outlook for future directions to offer reliable electrolyte systems is presented for the development of commercially viable lithium–sulfur batteries.     

Dendrite‐Free and Performance‐Enhanced Lithium Metal Batteries through Optimizing Solvent Compositions and Adding Combinational Additives

The instability of lithium (Li) metal anodes due to dendritic growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) hinders the practical application of high‐energy‐density Li metal batteries. Here, the systematic studies of improving the stability of Li metal anodes and the electrochemical performance of Li metal batteries through the addition of combinational additives and the optimization of solvent compositions in dual‐salt/carbonate electrolytes are reported. A dendrite‐free and high CE of 98.1% for Li metal anode is achieved. The well‐protected Li metal anode and the excellent cyclability and rate capability of the 4‐V Li metal batteries are obtained. This is attributed to the formation of a robust, denser, more polymeric, and higher ionic conductive surface film on the Li metal anode via the electrochemical reductive decompositions of the electrolyte components and the ring‐opening polymerization of additives and cyclic carbonate solvents. The key findings of this work indicate that the optimization of solvent compositions and the manipulation of additives are facile and effective ways to enhance the performances of Li metal batteries.