Electrokinetic Phenomena Enhanced Lithium‐Ion Transport in Leaky Film for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

Abstract

AbstractThe application of lithium (Li) metal anodes in Li metal batteries has been hindered by growth of Li dendrites, which lead to short cycling life. Here a Li‐ion‐affinity leaky film as a protection layer is reported to promote a dendrite‐free Li metal anode. The leaky film induces electrokinetic phenomena to enhance Li‐ion transport, leading to a reduced Li‐ion concentration polarization and homogeneous Li‐ion distribution. As a result, the dendrite‐free Li metal anode during Li plating/stripping is demonstrated even at an extremely high deposition capacity (6 mAh cm−2) and current density (40 mA cm−2) with improved Coulombic efficiencies. A full cell battery with the leaky‐film protected Li metal as the anode and high‐areal‐capacity LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM‐811) (≈4.2 mAh cm−2) or LiFePO4 (≈3.8 mAh cm−2) as the cathode shows improved cycling stability and capacity retention, even at lean electrolyte conditions.