Promoted Reaction Reversibility by Dual-Effect 15-Crown-5 Ether Additive for High-Performance Li–O2 Batteries

The practical application of lithium–oxygen batteries (LOBs) with ultrahigh theoretical energy density faces the problems of poor kinetics and deficient reversibility. The electrolyte is of vital significance to the electrochemical stability and reaction pathway of LOBs due to the formation of soluble products. Here, a 15-crown-5 ether (15C5) is employed to regulate the solvation structure of Li+ and manipulate the reaction mechanism through regulating the binding ability toward Li+. The promoted dissociation of LiNO3 by 15C5 increases the catalytical active anions in the electrolyte and stabilizes the Li-containing reduced oxygen species to promote the solution pathway of discharge product growth. Besides, 15C5 also facilitates the kinetics of the electrochemical decomposition of Li2O2 and prolongs the cycle life to 178 cycles. This work inspires a novel approach to improve the battery performance through electrolyte component design.