As a new type of solution-processable ionic semiconductor material, metal halide perovskite has become a hot material in the field of optoelectronic research in recent years due to its advantages of adjustable band gap, high defect tolerance and simple preparation.
Recently, a team led by Prof. YAO Hongbin and ZHANG Guozhen from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Dr. JU Huanxin from PHI China Analytical Laboratory, developed a metal chloride perovskite thin film based interfacial layer for shielding lithium metal from liquid electrolyte. The results were published online in Nature Communications. In the work, the team used the fabrication of metal chloride perovskite thin films and solid-state transfer process to form MSC-Li and MPC-Li anodes.
XRD measurements were carried out to explore the material characterizations. All the electrochemical tests were performed using CR2032 coin cells with a layer of commercial polypropylene (PP) separators (20 μm, Celgard 2250). The researchers found that metal chloride perovskite thin films can be used as stable interfacial layers to stabilize the Li metal anode.
Due to the electrochemical stability and highly oriented framework for fast Li+ ion conduction, the metal chloride perovskite thin film can not only act as efficient solid electrolyte interlayer to induce ultra-dense deposition of Li underneath their protection, but also isolate the Li metal anode from liquid electrolyte to provide a favorable environment for stable Li plating/stripping, effectively restraining the loss of lithium and the electrolyte during cycling.
Furthermore, the researchers found that the metal chloride perovskite protection layer can enable stable cycling of Li metal battery under strict conditions.
The metal chloride perovskite protection strategy could open a promising avenue for advanced lithium metal batteries. This innovative strategy to apply solution-processed metal chloride perovskite thin films as interfacial layers on the Li metal anodes will inspire more exploration of metal halide perovskites as ion transport materials, pushing ahead the development of advanced energy storage systems.
