Rapid Oxidation and Reduction of Lithium for Improved Cycling Performance and Increased Homogeneity

This work enables highly "uniform" and "reversible" deposition of Li metal in carbonate electrolytes through a one-time rapid oxidation and reduction (ROAR) treatment. Over the years, Li metal has been plagued with irreversible dendritic growths that create isolated and unusable structures called "dead Li". Accumulation of dead Li negatively impacts the ion transport, performance, and safety of Li metal batteries. To address this long-standing problem, we have developed an in situ process to uniformly create reversible Li deposits. Our results demonstrate that a combination of high-voltage pulses, which rapidly oxidize and reduce Li in both directions (ROAR treatment), leads to strikingly more homogeneous morphology and eliminates reaction pathway transitions. We validate that ROAR treatments eliminate traditional "mossy dendrites" under extended cycling (<250 cycles) in standard carbonate-based electrolytes. Moreover, ROAR treatments create a 500% reduction in overpotential for electrodissolution/deposition and eliminate "peaking" voltage behavior.