Realizing Compact Lithium Deposition via Elaborative Nucleation and Growth Regulation for Stable Lithium-Metal Batteries

Metallic lithium (Li) has been regarded as an ideal candidate for anode materials in next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, a ubiquitous spongy Li deposition results in low reversibility, huge interfacial impedance, and even safety issues, hindering its practical application. Herein, we proposed a bifunctional electrolyte (BiFE) to avoid the spongy Li deposition, in which lithium nitrate (LiNO3) facilitates a uniform granular Li nucleation via forming a kinetically favorable solid electrolyte interphase and silicon dioxide (SiO2) adsorbs anions to stabilize the electric field distribution near the electrode surface. Such a BiFE provides an even Li+ ion flux for the subsequent growth of electrochemical Li deposition, which was verified by ζ potential, Raman spectra, and specific capacitance characterizations, thus realizing a compact and uniform Li deposition via elaborative nucleation and growth regulation. An improved Li Coulombic efficiency of 99.1% can be achieved within BiFE. When used in Cu∥Li half-cells and Li∥Li symmetric cells, the high Li utilization prolonged the cycling life span to above 300 cycles and 1200 h, respectively. The compact Li deposition also resisted the corrosion of polysulfides to enhance the cycling performance of Li∥S full cells.