Issue 10, 2021

Realizing poly(ethylene oxide) as a polymer for solid electrolytes in high voltage lithium batteries via simple modification of the cell setup

Abstract

Pure, i.e., linear poly(ethylene oxide)-based solid polymer electrolyte (PEO-based SPE) as a common benchmark system for Li metal batteries (LMBs) is frequently assumed to be unsuitable for high voltage applications e.g., with LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 (NMC622)-based cathodes. In fact, a destructive failure appears immediately after cell operation, seen by a random-like “voltage noise” during charge, rendering continuous charge/discharge cycling in e.g., NMC622||Li cells not possible. Counterintuitively, this failure is a result of short-circuits in the course of e.g., Li dendrite penetration. It is shown that the distance between the electrodes plays a crucial role. This failure is more likely with a lower distance, particularly when the SPE is mechanically prone to shrinkage, for example at higher temperatures as systematically revealed by mechanical compression tests. Additionally, the active mass loading has a crucial impact on short circuits, and thus the “voltage noise” failure, as well. An effective and practically simple solution to realize cell operation with a PEO-based SPE is the incorporation of a spacer between the electrodes. This modification prevents the detrimental shrinkage and enables charge/discharge cycling performance in NMC622||Li cells with a defined and constant electrode distance, thus without voltage noise, and finally fulfills a reasonable benchmark for systematic R&D with specific capacities above 150 mA h g−1 even at 40 °C.

Graphical abstract: Realizing poly(ethylene oxide) as a polymer for solid electrolytes in high voltage lithium batteries via simple modification of the cell setup

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
06 Jan 2021
Accepted
01 Apr 2021
First published
06 Apr 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2021,2, 3251-3256

Realizing poly(ethylene oxide) as a polymer for solid electrolytes in high voltage lithium batteries via simple modification of the cell setup

L. Stolz, G. Homann, M. Winter and J. Kasnatscheew, Mater. Adv., 2021, 2, 3251 DOI: 10.1039/D1MA00009H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements