A Semiliquid Lithium Metal Anode

Abstract

Summary Solid electrolytes are considered to be key components for next-generation lithium metal-based rechargeable batteries. However, to implement a solid electrolyte with lithium metal still remains a challenge because of the insufficient contact between the solid/solid interface. To address this shortcoming, we have created a novel suspension-based liquid/solid interface by employing solid electrolytes with a semiliquid lithium metal anode (SLMA) that is flowable at room temperature. The SLMA consists of lithium microparticles evenly distributed in a dual-conductive polymer matrix. In a symmetric cell with a garnet based solid electrolyte, the SLMA shows stable lithium stripping and plating behavior with low overpotential at the current density of 1 mA/cm 2 and 1 mAh/cm 2 for nearly 400 h. This work shows a significant improvement over previous work based on lithium anode with the same type of solid electrolyte. The method used in this work has great potential for building reliable alkaline metal-based rechargeable batteries.