Yolk-Shell Structured ST@Al2 O3 Enables Functional PE Separator with Enhanced Lewis Acid Sites for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

Abstract

Commercial polymer separators usually have limited porosity, poor electrolyte wettability, and poor thermal and mechanical stability, which can deteriorate the performance of battery, especially at high current densities. In this work, a functional polyethylene (PE) separator is prepared by surface engineering a layer of Ti-doped SiO2 @Al2 O3 particles (denoted as ST@Al2 O3 -PE) with strong Lewis acid property and uniform porous structure on one side of the PE separator. On the other hand, ST@Al2 O3 particles with abundant pore structures and large cavities can store a large amount of electrolyte, providing a shortened pathway for lithium-ion transport, and the Lewis acid sites and porous structure of the ST@Al2 O3 can tune Li plating/stripping behavior and stabilize the lithium metal anode. The ST@Al2 O3 -PE separators exhibit better ionic conductivity (5.55 mS cm-1 ) and larger lithium-ion transference number (0.62). At a current density of 1 mA cm-2 , Li/Li symmetric cells with ST@Al2 O3 -PE separator can be stably cycled for more than 400 h, and both lithium iron phosphate /Li cells and lithium cobaltate/Li cells with ST@Al2 O3 -PE separator have good cycling and rate performance. This work provides a new strategy for developing functional separators and promoting the application of lithium metal batteries.