Lithium metal batteries comprising lithium anodes hold much promise in replacing conventional lithium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capa

DGIST - Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology

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2021-06-05 19:30:08

Lithium metal batteries comprising lithium anodes hold much promise in replacing conventional lithium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity but suffer from poor cycling performance due to undesirable side reactions. Now, Korean researchers have worked around the problem with engineered lithium metal powder pre-planted with lithium nitride (LN-LMP), reporting a surpassing cycling performance for an LN-LMP-based electrode and paving the way for their commercialization. 

Clockwise from left: Prof. Yong Min Lee, Prof. Hongkyung Lee, and Ph.D. student Dahee Jin from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, DGIST ⓒ DGIST

Our lives today are governed by electronics in all shapes and forms. Electronics, in turn, are governed by their batteries. However, the traditional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), that are widely used in electronic devices, are falling out of favor because researchers are beginning to view lithium metal batteries (LMBs) as a superior alternative due to their remarkably high energy density that exceeds LIBs by an order of magnitude! The key difference lies in the choice of anode material: LIBs use graphite, whereas LMBs use lithium metal. 

Such a choice, however, comes with its own challenges. Among the most prominent ones is the formation of needle-like structures on the lithium anode surface during cycling called “dendrites” that tend to pierce the barrier between the anode and cathode, causing short-circuit and, consequently, safety issues. “Li dendrite formation is strongly dependent on the surface nature of lithium anodes. A crucial strategy for LMBs, therefore, is to build an efficient solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) at the lithium surface,” explains Prof. Yong Min Lee from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Korea, who specializes in battery design.

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