Lithium anode protection using different materials

GUILLERMINA LUQUE, M. ZOLOFF, G. PEÑARDA, F. EROLES, FERNANDO COMETTO, B. SUAREZ RAMANZIN, M. ZAMPERI, S. RAVIOLO, F. LOBO MAZA, L. MOREL, S. MALDONADO, F. VACA CHAVEZ, D. BARRACO, ; V. BRACAMONTE,; A. CALDERÓN, ; E. LEIVA.

Workshop; 8th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON LITHIUM, INDUSTRIAL MINERALS AND ENERGY, Cochababa, Bolivia, an online event; 2021

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are currently the most widely used rechargeable batteries due to their high specific capacity, small size and varied shapes, with high performance and reliability, especially adapted to consumer applications in the electronics industry. However, batteries that outperform LIBs, or so-called beyond LIB technologies, are urgently needed for various applications such as electric vehicles and grid energy storage. Among these, lithium metal rechargeable batteries (LMB) have been extensively investigated with the potential to double the energy density of next-generation LIBs.However, these batteries present significant challenges that impede the successful development of lithium metal batteries, including the uncontrollable deposition / dissolution of Li causing the formation and growth of Li dendrites during repeated charge / discharge processes that induce a series of thorny problems, such as possible battery short circuits and the low Coulombic efficiency resulting from the high reactivity of the Li metal towards the electrolyte solvents and the salt anions. The solid-electrolyte interface (SEI), is a surface passivation layer which is formed by the reaction of metallic lithium with electrolyte, is one of the most important factors affecting the morphology of the deposited lithium and the coulombic efficiency. To try to solve the problems inherent in the use of metallic lithium as an anode, different strategies have emerged, including that of using an artificial SEI on metallic Li.In this presentation we will discuss the results obtained using different materials to modify the surface of metallic lithium anode and its effect on the regulation of dendrite formation. We also performed ab initio studies in order to understand the type of interactions that take place between the modified surface and lithium.