Issue 7, 2017

Biomimetic ant-nest ionogel electrolyte boosts the performance of dendrite-free lithium batteries

Abstract

The use of a rechargeable Li metal anode is one of the most favored choices for next-generation high energy density lithium batteries. Unfortunately, the growth of lithium dendrites during recharging hinders the practical application of Li metal anodes. Herein, we report a new biomimetic ionogel electrolyte with ant-nest architecture by the confinement of an ionic liquid within a chemically modified SiO2 scaffold for promoting the dendrite-free stripping/plating of Li anodes. The biomimetic ant-nest architecture not only has high ionic conductivity, but can also effectively restrain the Li dendrite growth by the spontaneous formation of a particle-rich protective layer on the lithium electrode during charge/discharge cycling. The solid-state full cells with LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 exhibit a very high energy density of ca. 390 W h kg−1. The as-prepared Li/Li4Ti5O12 full cells present excellent cycling stability up to 3000 cycles with excellent Coulombic efficiencies of >99.8%. The present work opens a new route for the use of the biomimetic concept for designing a new ant-nest ionogel electrolyte for developing high energy density Li metal batteries with high stability.

Graphical abstract: Biomimetic ant-nest ionogel electrolyte boosts the performance of dendrite-free lithium batteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Apr 2017
Accepted
05 Jun 2017
First published
05 Jun 2017

Energy Environ. Sci., 2017,10, 1660-1667

Biomimetic ant-nest ionogel electrolyte boosts the performance of dendrite-free lithium batteries

N. Chen, Y. Dai, Y. Xing, L. Wang, C. Guo, R. Chen, S. Guo and F. Wu, Energy Environ. Sci., 2017, 10, 1660 DOI: 10.1039/C7EE00988G

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