TY - JOUR
T1 - Localized Recrystallization of a Lithium-Metal Anode during Fast Stripping in High-Activity Liquid Electrolytes
AU - Zhu, Shang
AU - Hong, Zijian
AU - Ahmad, Zeeshan
AU - Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2023/2/8
Y1 - 2023/2/8
N2 - The lithium-metal anode is one of the most promising candidates for “beyond-lithium-ion” batteries thanks to its high specific capacity and low negative electrochemical potential. However, the electrode-electrolyte interface instability hinders its commercialization in rechargeable batteries. During cycles of charging and discharging, the lithium-metal anode is electrochemically plated and stripped along with the morphological evolution, which determines the cycling performance. In this work, with a phase-field model, we computationally characterize the morphological evolution dynamics during the plating and stripping steps at the lithium-metal-electrolyte interface. Our model is valid in a wide range of lithium concentrations in liquid electrolytes by incorporating nonidealities of electrolyte solutions into the interfacial reaction kinetics. Intriguingly, at fast stripping, i.e., high discharging overpotential, we observe an unexpected localized recrystallization phenomenon in high-lithium-ion-concentration valley regions. This recrystallization phenomenon mitigates the overall reaction rate heterogeneity and provides a potential approach to improving the morphological stability. Furthermore, we systematically investigate the correlation between the recrystallization phenomenon and lithium-ion activity and draw a simplified phase diagram for the overpotential-dependent recrystallization.
AB - The lithium-metal anode is one of the most promising candidates for “beyond-lithium-ion” batteries thanks to its high specific capacity and low negative electrochemical potential. However, the electrode-electrolyte interface instability hinders its commercialization in rechargeable batteries. During cycles of charging and discharging, the lithium-metal anode is electrochemically plated and stripped along with the morphological evolution, which determines the cycling performance. In this work, with a phase-field model, we computationally characterize the morphological evolution dynamics during the plating and stripping steps at the lithium-metal-electrolyte interface. Our model is valid in a wide range of lithium concentrations in liquid electrolytes by incorporating nonidealities of electrolyte solutions into the interfacial reaction kinetics. Intriguingly, at fast stripping, i.e., high discharging overpotential, we observe an unexpected localized recrystallization phenomenon in high-lithium-ion-concentration valley regions. This recrystallization phenomenon mitigates the overall reaction rate heterogeneity and provides a potential approach to improving the morphological stability. Furthermore, we systematically investigate the correlation between the recrystallization phenomenon and lithium-ion activity and draw a simplified phase diagram for the overpotential-dependent recrystallization.
KW - electrolyte nonidealities
KW - fast stripping
KW - lithium-metal anode
KW - localized recrystallization
KW - phase-field model
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147290619&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsami.2c17379
DO - 10.1021/acsami.2c17379
M3 - Article
C2 - 36716351
AN - SCOPUS:85147290619
SN - 1944-8244
VL - 15
SP - 6639
EP - 6646
JO - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
JF - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
IS - 5
ER -