- Kim, Mun Sek;
- Zhang, Zewen;
- Rudnicki, Paul E;
- Yu, Zhiao;
- Wang, Jingyang;
- Wang, Hansen;
- Oyakhire, Solomon T;
- Chen, Yuelang;
- Kim, Sang Cheol;
- Zhang, Wenbo;
- Boyle, David T;
- Kong, Xian;
- Xu, Rong;
- Huang, Zhuojun;
- Huang, William;
- Bent, Stacey F;
- Wang, Lin-Wang;
- Qin, Jian;
- Bao, Zhenan;
- Cui, Yi
Designing a stable solid-electrolyte interphase on a Li anode is imperative to developing reliable Li metal batteries. Herein, we report a suspension electrolyte design that modifies the Li+ solvation environment in liquid electrolytes and creates inorganic-rich solid-electrolyte interphases on Li. Li2O nanoparticles suspended in liquid electrolytes were investigated as a proof of concept. Through theoretical and empirical analyses of Li2O suspension electrolytes, the roles played by Li2O in the liquid electrolyte and solid-electrolyte interphases of the Li anode are elucidated. Also, the suspension electrolyte design is applied in conventional and state-of-the-art high-performance electrolytes to demonstrate its applicability. Based on electrochemical analyses, improved Coulombic efficiency (up to ~99.7%), reduced Li nucleation overpotential, stabilized Li interphases and prolonged cycle life of anode-free cells (~70 cycles at 80% of initial capacity) were achieved with the suspension electrolytes. We expect this design principle and our findings to be expanded into developing electrolytes and solid-electrolyte interphases for Li metal batteries.