Full gradient compensation of LiNO3 in the suspension electrolyte for lithium metal batteries.

Uncontrolled side reactions between lithium metal and organic electrolytes seriously deteriorates the stability of corresponding battery due to the non-uniform Li+ deposition. Using lithium nitrate (LiNO 3) as an additive can adjust the components in solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) for optimizing of lithium metal interface. However, the low solubility and rapid consumption of LiNO 3 in ester-based electrolytes limit its further application. Herein, a kind of suspension electrolyte containing micron-sized LiNO 3 particles is reported to realize a full gradient compensation against the consumption of NO 3 −. Benefiting from the uniformly dispersion of LiNO 3 particles, a SEI layer containing even-distributed Li 3 N and LiN x O y with high content is constructed that promotes the rapid and uniform plating of Li+. Consequently, the Li/Cu batteries present a polarization of only 15–20 mV, and exhibit a consistent performance for 230 cycles with the CE of 98.1%, which is 4 times than that of conventional carbonate electrolytes. In addition, the cycling life of the assembled Li/NCM811 batteries can be extended to 260 cycles with a high capacity retention of 82.4 %. A kind of suspension electrolyte containing micron-sized LiNO 3 particles is reported to realize a full gradient compensation against the consumption of NO 3 −. Benefiting from the uniformly dispersion of LiNO 3 particles, a SEI layer containing even-distributed Li 3 N and LiN x O y with high content is constructed that promotes the rapid and uniform plating of Li+. [Display omitted] • Suspension electrolyte brings a full gradient compensation of NO 3 − against the consumption on Li metal surface. • The full gradient compensation of NO 3 − promotes the uniform formation of Li 3 N and LiN x O y in SEI. • The Li + conductivity of SEI is significantly enhanced, reducing the polarization of Li/Cu batteries to only 15–20 mV. • High performance is achieved with 260 cycles in Li/NCM811 batteries at a high capacity retention of 82.4 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]