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Dynamic spatial progression of isolated lithium during battery operations
The increasing demand for next-generation energy storage systems necessitates the development of high-performance lithium batteries 1 – 3 . Unfortunately, current Li anodes exhibit rapid capacity decay and a short cycle life 4 – 6 , owing to the continuous generation of solid electrolyte interface 7...
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Published in: | Nature (London) 2021-12, Vol.600 (7890), p.659-663 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | The increasing demand for next-generation energy storage systems necessitates the development of high-performance lithium batteries
1
–
3
. Unfortunately, current Li anodes exhibit rapid capacity decay and a short cycle life
4
–
6
, owing to the continuous generation of solid electrolyte interface
7
,
8
and isolated Li (i-Li)
9
–
11
. The formation of i-Li during the nonuniform dissolution of Li dendrites
12
leads to a substantial capacity loss in lithium batteries under most testing conditions
13
. Because i-Li loses electrical connection with the current collector, it has been considered electrochemically inactive or ‘dead’ in batteries
14
,
15
. Contradicting this commonly accepted presumption, here we show that i-Li is highly responsive to battery operations, owing to its dynamic polarization to the electric field in the electrolyte. Simultaneous Li deposition and dissolution occurs on two ends of the i-Li, leading to its spatial progression toward the cathode (anode) during charge (discharge). Revealed by our simulation results, the progression rate of i-Li is mainly affected by its length, orientation and the applied current density. Moreover, we successfully demonstrate the recovery of i-Li in Cu–Li cells with >100% Coulombic efficiency and realize LiNi
0.5
Mn
0.3
Co
0.2
O
2
(NMC)–Li full cells with extended cycle life.
An electrochemical process stimulates the progression toward the electrode of isolated or ‘dead’ lithium in a battery, recovering its electrical connection, and the effect is demonstrated by increased cycle life. |
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ISSN: | 0028-0836 1476-4687 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41586-021-04168-w |