In Situ Li3PO4/PVA Solid Polymer Electrolyte Protective Layer Stabilizes the Lithium Metal Anode

Shuaiguo Hao; Zhipeng Ma; Yao Zhao; Lina Kong; Haoyan He; Guangjie Shao; Xiujuan Qin; Weimin Gao

doi:10.1021/acsomega.0c00729

In Situ Li₃PO₄/PVA Solid Polymer Electrolyte Protective Layer Stabilizes the Lithium Metal Anode

ACS Omega. 2020 Apr 3;5(14):8299-8304. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00729. eCollection 2020 Apr 14.

Authors

Shuaiguo Hao^{1

2}, Zhipeng Ma¹, Yao Zhao¹, Lina Kong¹, Haoyan He¹, Guangjie Shao^{1

2}, Xiujuan Qin^{1

2}, Weimin Gao³

Affiliations

¹ Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Hebei Key Laboratory of Heavy Metal Deep-Remediation in Water and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China.
³ Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.

Abstract

A lithium metal anode is regarded as the most promising anode material for the next generation of high-energy density batteries because of its high specific capacity and low reduction potential. However, dendritic deposition and severe side reactions in continuous Li plating/stripping inevitably hinder the practical application of Li metal batteries. A solid polymer electrolyte protective layer with synergistic Li₃PO₄/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) features is in situ constructed on a lithium metal anode to obtain a stable interface during charge/discharge cycles. The protective layer can adapt to volume changes and inhibit lithium dendrites. The in situ reaction guaranteed the uniformity of ion transport and a tight interface between the protective layer and the lithium metal, so that the lithium deposition behavior was effectively regulated. The PP-Li anode presented a stable Li plating/stripping for 1000 h in a symmetrical cell system and exhibited an enhanced performance of the lithium titanium oxide cell. The in situ Li₃PO₄/PVA solid polymer electrolyte protective layer provided a promising strategy to tackle the challenges raised by the intrinsic properties of the lithium metal anode.