Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) that utilize sulfur and lithium (Li) metal as electrode materials are highly attractive for transportation applications due to their high theoretical gravimetric energy density. However, two major challenges currently impede the commercialization of LSB, which are the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.202200146 |
| _version_ | 1811167208872607744 |
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| author | Nico Lars Grotkopp Marcella Horst Mattis Batzer Georg Garnweitner Annelise Jean-Fulcrand |
| author_facet | Nico Lars Grotkopp Marcella Horst Mattis Batzer Georg Garnweitner Annelise Jean-Fulcrand |
| author_sort | Nico Lars Grotkopp |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) that utilize sulfur and lithium (Li) metal as electrode materials are highly attractive for transportation applications due to their high theoretical gravimetric energy density. However, two major challenges currently impede the commercialization of LSB, which are the formation of Li dendrites and polysulfide shuttling. To mitigate these two effects, a protective film or artificial solid–electrolyte interface (SEI) can be applied directly to the Li‐metal surface. Herein, the preparation of freestanding polyethylene oxide (PEO)‐based films using tape casting as a scalable coating technique is presented. Moreover, the films are applied directly to the Li surface via a solvent‐free method. To demonstrate the suitability of the developed PEO‐based films, the long‐term cycling performance of the lithium–sulfur cells is discussed. It is shown that the cells with the Li‐metal surface protected by PEO‐based films achieve better stability and reproducibility, reaching ≈400 mA h g S−1 after 250 cycles compared to ≈200 mA h g S−1 after 250 cycles for the bare Li‐metal electrode. An extensive postmortem analysis of the Li‐metal electrode surface with scanning electron microscopy is additionally shown, revealing that the PEO‐based artificial SEIs form uniformly with a low level of defect layers at the interface with the Li‐metal electrode, which indicates the creation of a stable SEI. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:05:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e663c0c8dac14d63a6c74d63accfae66 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2699-9412 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:05:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-e663c0c8dac14d63a6c74d63accfae662023-02-10T06:07:27ZengWiley-VCHAdvanced Energy & Sustainability Research2699-94122023-02-0142n/an/a10.1002/aesr.202200146Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur BatteriesNico Lars Grotkopp0Marcella Horst1Mattis Batzer2Georg Garnweitner3Annelise Jean-Fulcrand4Institute for Particle Technology Technische Universität Braunschweig 38104 Braunschweig GermanyInstitute for Particle Technology Technische Universität Braunschweig 38104 Braunschweig GermanyInstitute for Particle Technology Technische Universität Braunschweig 38104 Braunschweig GermanyInstitute for Particle Technology Technische Universität Braunschweig 38104 Braunschweig GermanyInstitute for Particle Technology Technische Universität Braunschweig 38104 Braunschweig GermanyLithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) that utilize sulfur and lithium (Li) metal as electrode materials are highly attractive for transportation applications due to their high theoretical gravimetric energy density. However, two major challenges currently impede the commercialization of LSB, which are the formation of Li dendrites and polysulfide shuttling. To mitigate these two effects, a protective film or artificial solid–electrolyte interface (SEI) can be applied directly to the Li‐metal surface. Herein, the preparation of freestanding polyethylene oxide (PEO)‐based films using tape casting as a scalable coating technique is presented. Moreover, the films are applied directly to the Li surface via a solvent‐free method. To demonstrate the suitability of the developed PEO‐based films, the long‐term cycling performance of the lithium–sulfur cells is discussed. It is shown that the cells with the Li‐metal surface protected by PEO‐based films achieve better stability and reproducibility, reaching ≈400 mA h g S−1 after 250 cycles compared to ≈200 mA h g S−1 after 250 cycles for the bare Li‐metal electrode. An extensive postmortem analysis of the Li‐metal electrode surface with scanning electron microscopy is additionally shown, revealing that the PEO‐based artificial SEIs form uniformly with a low level of defect layers at the interface with the Li‐metal electrode, which indicates the creation of a stable SEI.https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.202200146artificial solid–electrolyte interfacescomposite filmsdendrite mitigationflexible SEIsfree-standing filmsimproved cycling stability |
| spellingShingle | Nico Lars Grotkopp Marcella Horst Mattis Batzer Georg Garnweitner Annelise Jean-Fulcrand Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research artificial solid–electrolyte interfaces composite films dendrite mitigation flexible SEIs free-standing films improved cycling stability |
| title | Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_full | Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_fullStr | Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_short | Flexible Freestanding Thin Polyethylene Oxide‐Based Film as Artificial Solid–Electrolyte Interface to Protect Lithium Metal in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries |
| title_sort | flexible freestanding thin polyethylene oxide based film as artificial solid electrolyte interface to protect lithium metal in lithium sulfur batteries |
| topic | artificial solid–electrolyte interfaces composite films dendrite mitigation flexible SEIs free-standing films improved cycling stability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.202200146 |
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