Modification of Carbonate Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Electrodes

Lithium metal anodes are crucial in moving toward high-energy-density lithium batteries for a variety of applications, but they suffer from an assortment of safety issues and poor long-term cycling performance. The easiest way to address this is to modify the currently used electrolytes in order to improve the performance in the cell. Carbonate-based electrolytes are one of the few types of solvents that not only participate in solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation but also are stable up to high potentials, making them ideal for applications with high-voltage cathodes and lithium metal anodes. While current standard carbonate electrolytes have poor performance, modifying the electrolyte by adjusting the salt or including electrolyte additives can lead to significant improvements in SEI generation and lithium metal battery longevity.