The high impedance of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is one of the important factors that deteriorate the charge behavior of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) at low temperatures, which hinders their practical application in portable electronic products and electric vehicles under extreme conditions. Based on this consideration, a LiF-rich SEI film with low impedance, using lithium difluorobis(oxalato)phosphate (LiDFBOP) as an electrolyte additive and a blank electrolyte without commercial additives, is constructed on a graphite surface. The decomposition mechanism of LiDFBOP is further deduced by density functional theory calculations. This additive inhibits the decomposition of the electrolyte and then forms a thin SEI film with more LiF. LiF, possessing high Young's modulus, makes the SEI film dense and stable. At the same time, more LiF/Li2CO3 interfaces are formed to increase the ionic conductivity. Benefiting from the components and the structure of the SEI, the graphite/Li cells exhibit excellent cycling stability (ca. 85.5% initial capacity retention for 200 cycles at 1 C) and an impressive low-temperature performance (ca. 200% capacity for electrolytes without LiDFBOP at -20 °C). This work presents an effective strategy for developing a functional electrolyte to meet the requirement of LIBs with enhanced low-temperature performance.
Keywords: SEI; decomposition mechanism; electrolyte additive; graphite; low temperature.