Suppression of dendritic lithium formation by using concentrated electrolyte solutions

Abstract This study examined the electrochemical deposition and dissolution of lithium on nickel electrodes in a propylene carbonate (PC) electrolyte containing different LiN(SO2C2F5)2 concentrations. The electrolyte concentration was found to have a significant effect on the reactions occurring at the electrode. The poor cycleability of the electrodes in the low-concentration solutions was improved considerably by increasing the electrolyte concentration. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that a high-concentration solution produces a thinner solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the electrodeposited lithium than a low-concentration solution, e.g., ∼35 nm in 1.28 mol kg−1 vs. ∼20 nm in 3.27 mol kg−1 solutions. Raman spectroscopy showed that the solvation number of lithium ions differed according to the electrolyte concentration. This suggests that the structure of solvated lithium ions is an important factor in suppressing dendritic lithium formation.