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A Heterogeneous Quasi-solid-State Hybrid Electrolyte Constructed from Electrospun Nanofibers Enables Robust Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries

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Abstract

Quasi-solid-state electrolytes that possess high ionic conductivity, excellent interface stability, and low interfacial resistance, are required for practical solid-state batteries. Herein, a heterogeneous quasi-solid-state hybrid electrolyte (QSHE) with a robust lithium-ion transport layer composed of Li1+xAlxTi2−x(PO4)3 (LATP) nanoparticles (NPs) at the anode/electrolyte interface was fabricated using electrospun nanofibers as a skeleton via a facile in situ polymerization approach. The QSHE exhibits a high ionic conductivity (0.98 mS cm−1), a wide electrochemical window (4.76 V vs. Li/Li+), and favorable compatibility with lithium metal (maintaining stability over 2000 h in a symmetrical cell) at room temperature. When coupled with a Li|LiFePO4 battery, the QSHE enables the battery to retain 95.4% of its capacity after 300 cycles at 2 C. Moreover, the atomic force microscopy verifies the high Young’s modulus of the LATP-dominated bottom layer, while numerical simulation validates the effective distribution of lithium ions at the interface facilitated by LATP NPs, hence contributing to dendrite-free lithium plating/stripping morphology. This straightforward strategy could pave the way for the development of high-performance and interfacially stable lithium metal batteries.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22179022, No. 22109023, and No.22209027), the Industry-University Research Joint Innovation Project of Fujian Province (No. 2021H6006), the FuXiaQuan National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone Collaborative Innovation Platform (No. 2022-P-027), the Youth Innovation Fund of Fujian Province (No. 2021J05043 and No.2022J05046), the Award Program for Fujian Minjiang Scholar Professorship.

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  1. Manxi Wang and Shiwen Lv contributed equally to the work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences and College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350000, China

    Manxi Wang, Shiwen Lv, Manxian Li, Xuan Li, Chuanping Li, Zulin Li, Xiaochuan Chen, Junxiong Wu, Xiaoyan Li, Yuming Chen & Qinghua Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, 350000, China

    Yuming Chen

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  1. Manxi Wang
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Correspondence to Xiaochuan Chen, Junxiong Wu, Xiaoyan Li or Yuming Chen.

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Wang, M., Lv, S., Li, M. et al. A Heterogeneous Quasi-solid-State Hybrid Electrolyte Constructed from Electrospun Nanofibers Enables Robust Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries. Adv. Fiber Mater. 6, 727–738 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00371-8

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