In Situ Constructing Ultrastable Mechanical Integrity of Single-Crystalline LiNi0.9 Co0.05 Mn0.05 O2 Cathode by Interior and Exterior Decoration Strategy.

Planar gliding along with anisotropic lattice strain of single-crystalline nickel-rich cathodes (SCNRC) at highly delithiated states will induce severe delamination cracking that seriously deteriorates LIBs' cyclability. To address these issues, a novel lattice-matched MgTiO3 (MTO) layer, which exhibits same lattice structure as Ni-rich cathodes, is rationally constructed on single-crystalline LiNi0.9 Co0.05 Mn0.05 O2 (SC90) for ultrastable mechanical integrity. Intensive in/ex situ characterizations combined with theoretical calculations and finite element analysis suggest that the uniform MTO coating layer prevents direct contact between SC90 and organic electrolytes and enables rapid Li-ion diffusion with depressed Li-deficiency, thereby stabilizing the interfacial structure and accommodating the mechanical stress of SC90. More importantly, a superstructure is simultaneously formed in SC90, which can effectively alleviate the anisotropic lattice changes and decrease cation mobility during successive high-voltage de/intercalation processes. Therefore, the as-acquired MTO-modified SC90 cathode displays desirable capacity retention and high-voltage stability. When paired with commercial graphite anodes, the pouch-type cells with the MTO-modified SC90 can deliver a high capacity of 175.2 mAh g-1 with 89.8% capacity retention after 500 cycles. This lattice-matching coating strategy demonstrate a highly effective pathway to maintain the structural and interfacial stability in electrode materials, which can be a pioneering breakthrough in commercialization of Ni-rich cathodes.

Double-Layer Electrolyte Boosts Cycling Stability of All-Solid-State Li Metal Batteries.

All-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs), as a candidate for advanced energy storage devices, invite an abundance of interest due to the merits of high specific energy density and eminent safety. Nevertheless, issues of overwhelming lithium dendrite growth and poor interfacial contact still limit the practical application of ASSLMBs. Herein, we designed and fabricated a double-layer composite solid electrolyte (CSE), namely, PVDF-LiTFSI-Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3/PVDF-LiTFSI-h-BN (denoted as PLLB), for ASSLMBs. The reduction-tolerant PVDF-LiTFSI-h-BN (denoted as PLB) layer of the CSE tightly contacts with the Li metal anode to avoid the reduction of LATP by the electrode and participates in the formation of a stable SEI film using Li3N. Meanwhile, the oxidation-resistance and ion-conductive PVDF-LiTFSI- LATP (denoted as PLA) layer facing the cathode can reduce the interfacial impedance by facilitating ionic migration. With the synergistic effect of PLA and PLB, the Li/Li symmetric cells with sandwich-type electrolytes (PLB/PLA/PLB) can operate for 1500 h with ultralong cycling stability at 0.1 mA cm-2. Additionally, the LiFePO4/Li cell with PLLB maintains satisfactory capacity retention of 88.2% after 250 cycles. This novel double-layer electrolyte offers an effective approach to achieving fully commercialized ASSLMBs.