Regulating surface chemistry of separator with LiF for advanced Li-S batteries

Abstract

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted intensive attention owing to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density. Nevertheless, the practical application of Li-S batteries is prevented by uncontrollable shuttle effect and retarded reaction kinetics. To address the above issues, lithium fluoride (LiF) was employed to regulate the surface chemistry of routine separator. The functional separator demonstrates a great ability to suppress active S loss and protect lithium anode. This work provides a facile strategy for the development of advanced Li-S batteries.

Key words： Li-S batteries; LiF; functional separator

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2017YFA0402802 and 2017YFA0206700), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21776265 and 51902304), the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (Grant No. 1908085ME122), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Wk2060140026).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-021-0759-7 and is accessible for authorized users.

References

1 Shin H, Baek M, Gupta A, Recent progress in high donor electrolytes for lithium-ulfur batteries. Advanced Energy Materials, 2020, 10(27): 2001456

2 Tarascon J M, Armand M. Issues and challenges facing rechargeable lithium batteries. Nature, 2001, 414(6861): 359–367

3 Bruce P, Freunberger S, Hardwick L, Li-O₂ and Li-S batteries with high energy storage. Nature Materials, 2012, 11(1): 19–29

4 Yang X, Li X, Adair K, Structural design of lithium-sulfur batteries: from fundamental research to practical application. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2018, 1(3): 239–293

5 Lei J, Liu T, Chen J, Exploring and understanding the roles of Li₂S_n and the strategies to beyond present Li-S batteries. Chem, 2020, 6(10): 2533–2557

6 Peng L, Wei Z, Wan C, A fundamental look at electrocatalytic sulfur reduction reaction. Nature Catalysis, 2020, 3(9): 762–770

7 Wu H, Zhuo D, Kong D, Improving battery safety by early detection of internal shorting with a bifunctional separator. Nature Communications, 2014, 5(1): 5193–5198

8 Liu Y, Lin D, Liang Z, Lithium-coated polymeric matrix as a minimum volume-change and dendrite-free lithium metal anode. Nature Communications, 2016, 7(1): 10992–11000

9 Xiao Y, Han B, Zeng Y, New lithium salt forms interphases suppressing both Li dendrite and polysulfide shuttling. Advanced Energy Materials, 2020, 10(14): 1903937

10 Zhao M, Li B Q, Chen X, Redox comediation with organopolysulfides in working lithium-sulfur batteries. Chem, 2020, 6(12): 3297–3311

11 Wei J, Zhang X, Hou L, Shielding polysulfide intermediates by an organosulfur-containing solid electrolyte interphase on the lithium anode in lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Materials, 2020, 32(37): 2003012

12 Fang R, Zhao S, Sun Z, More reliable lithium-sulfur batteries: status, solutions and prospects. Advanced Materials, 2017, 29(48): 1606823

13 Jiang J, Wang A, Wang W, P(VDF-HFP)-poly(sulfur-1,3-diisopropenylbenzene) functional polymer electrolyte for lithium-sulfur batteries. Journal of Energy Chemistry, 2020, 46: 114–122

14 Pei F, Dai S, Guo B, Titanium-oxo cluster reinforced gel polymer electrolyte enabling lithium-sulfur batteries with high gravimetric energy densities. Energy & Environmental Science, 2021, 14(2): 975–985

15 Ni X, Qian T, Liu X, High lithium ion conductivity LiF/GO solid electrolyte interphase inhibiting the shuttle of lithium polysulfides in long-life Li-S batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, 2018, 28(13): 1706513

16 Hagen M, Hanselmann D, Ahlbrecht K, Lithium-sulfur cells: the gap between the state-of-the-art and the requirements for high energy battery cells. Advanced Energy Materials, 2015, 5(16): 1401986

17 Jeong Y C, Kim J H, Nam S, Rational design of nanostructured functional interlayer/separator for advanced Li-S Batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, 2018, 28(38): 1707411

18 Su Y S, Manthiram A. Lithium-sulphur batteries with a microporous carbon paper as a bifunctional interlayer. Nature Communications, 2012, 3(1): 1166–1171

19 Liu X, Huang J Q, Zhang Q, Nanostructured metal oxides and sulfides for lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Materials, 2017, 29(20): 1601759

20 Li Z, Zhou C, Hua J, Engineering oxygen vacancies in a polysulfide-blocking layer with enhanced catalytic ability. Advanced Materials, 2020, 32(10): 1907444

21 Jeong Y, Kim J, Kwon S, Rational design of exfoliated 1T MoS₂@CNT-based bifunctional separators for lithium sulfur batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 2017, 5(45): 23909–23918

22 Ghazi Z A, He X, Khattak A M, MoS₂/Celgard separator as efficient polysulfide barrier for long-life lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Materials, 2017, 29(21): 1606817

23 Wang H, Zhang W, Xu J, Advances in polar materials for lithium-sulfur batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, 2018, 28(38): 1707520 (in Chinese)

24 Liu Z. Electrochemical phase evolution of metal-based pre-catalysts in lithium sulfur batteries. Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, 2020, 36(11): 2004003 (in Chinese)

25 Huang F, Jie Y, Li X, Correlation between Li plating morphology and reversibility of Li metal anode. Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, 2021, 37: 2008081

26 Xu R, Zhang X, Cheng X, Artificial soft-rigid protective layer for dendrite-free lithium metal anode. Advanced Functional Materials, 2018, 28(8): 1705838

27 Zhang X, Cheng X, Chen X, Fluoroethylene carbonate additives to render uniform Li deposits in lithium metal batteries. Advanced Functional Materials, 2017, 27(10): 1605989

28 Ran Q, Sun T, Han C, Natural polyphenol tannic acid as an efficient electrolyte additive for high performance lithium metal anode. Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica, 2020, 36(11): 1912068

29 Sheng O, Jin C, Chen M, Platinum nano-interlayer enhanced interface for stable all-solid-state batteries observed via cryotransmission electron microscopy. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Materials for Energy and Sustainability, 2020, 8(27): 13541–13547

30 Sheng O, Zheng J, Ju Z, In situ construction of a LiF-enriched interface for stable all-solid-state batteries and its origin revealed by cryo-TEM. Advanced Materials, 2020, 32(34): 2000223

31 Liang X, Hart C, Pang Q, A highly efficient polysulfide mediator for lithium-sulfur batteries. Nature Communications, 2015, 6(1): 5682–5689

32 Liang J, Yin L, Tang X, Kinetically enhanced electrochemical redox of polysulfides on polymeric carbon nitrides for improved lithium-sulfur batteries. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016, 8(38): 25193–25201

33 Manthiram A, Fu Y, Chung S H, Rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. Chemical Reviews, 2014, 114(23): 11751–11787

34 Ma L, Fu C, Li L, Nanoporous polymer films with a high cation transference number stabilize lithium metal anodes in light-weight batteries for electrified transportation. Nano Letters, 2019, 19(2): 1387–1394

35 Shi L, Bak S M, Shadike Z, Reaction heterogeneity in practical high-energy lithium-sulfur pouch cells. Energy & Environmental Science, 2020, 13(10): 3620–3632