Formulating the Electrolyte Towards High-Energy and Safe Rechargeable Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Ma, Qiang; Yue, Junpei; Fan, Min; Tan, Shuang-Jie; Zhang, Juan; Wang, Wen-Peng; Liu, Yuan; Tian, Yi-Fan; Xu, Quan; Yin, Ya-Xia; You, Ya; Luo, An; Xin, Sen; Wu, Xiong-Wei; Guo, Yu-Guo

Rechargeable lithium-metal batteries with a cell-level specific energy of >400 Wh kg -1 are highly desired for the next-generation storage applications, yet the research has been retarded by poor electrolyte-electrode compatibility and rigorous safety concerns. In this work, we show that by simply formulating the composition of conventional electrolytes, a hybrid electrolyte was constructed to ensure high (electro)chemical and thermal stability with both the Li-metal anode and the high-nickel layered oxide cathodes. By employing the new electrolyte, Li||LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 cells show favorable cycling and rate performance, and a 10-Ah Li||LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 pouch cell demonstrates a practical specific energy of >450 Wh kg -1 . Our findings shed light on reasonable design of electrolyte and electrode/electrolyte interface towards practical realization of high-energy rechargeable batteries.