A Liquid/Liquid Electrolyte Interface that Inhibits Corrosion and Dendrite Growth of Lithium in Lithium-Metal Batteries.

A proof-of-concept study on a liquid/liquid (L/L) two-phase electrolyte interface is reported by using the polarity difference of solvent for the protection of Li-metal anode with long-term operation over 2000 h. The L/L electrolyte interface constructed by non-polar fluorosilicane (PFTOS) and conventionally polar dimethyl sulfoxide solvents can block direct contact between conventional electrolyte and Li anode, and consequently their side reactions can be significantly eliminated. Moreover, the homogeneous Li-ion flow and Li-mass deposition can be realized by the formation of a thin and uniform solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) composed of LiF, Lix C, Lix SiOy between PFTOS and Li anode, as well as the super-wettability state of PFTOS to Li anode, resulting in the suppression of Li dendrite formation. The cycling stability in a lithium-oxygen battery as a model is improved 4 times with the L/L electrolyte interface.