Evaluation of chemical stability of conducting ceramics to protect metallic lithium in Li/S batteries

Laurent Castro (1) , Emmanuel Petit (1) , Anass Benayad (2) , Fabrice Mauvy (1) , Brigitte Pecquenard (1) , Frédéric Le Cras (2) , Céline Barchasz (2)

1 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
2 LITEN - Laboratoire d'Innovation pour les Technologies des Energies Nouvelles et les nanomatériaux

Among the different cutting-edge solutions currently under investigation, lithium metal technologies have received a renewed interest. Thorough research work is currently carried out to enhance the safety and cyclability of the lithium metal electrode, targeting high energy post-Li-ion systems such as the lithium/sulfur technology. This study aims at investigating different inorganic protective layers that could be placed at the surface of the lithium metal electrode in a lithium/sulfur system, in order to prevent the detrimental interactions with polysulfide species and electrolyte components. The chemical stability of the selected inorganic materials (amorphous thin films, crystalline ceramics and glass-ceramics) towards ether-based (polysulfides-containing) electrolytes was studied. Although being crucial for long term cycling of Li/S cells, this issue has not been addressed so far. The chemical composition and morphology of the different materials after immersion in different electrolytes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, XPS and SEM, and the most promising materials were evaluated in Li/S cells.

Mots clés: Lithium metal protection; Lithium conducting ceramics and thin film; Chemical stability; Lithium polysulfides; Electrochemical performances

Domaines: Matériaux; Autre

Laurent Castro, Emmanuel Petit, Anass Benayad, Fabrice Mauvy, Brigitte Pecquenard, et al.. Evaluation of chemical stability of conducting ceramics to protect metallic lithium in Li/S batteries. Solid State Ionics, 2020, 354, pp.115402. ⟨10.1016/j.ssi.2020.115402⟩. ⟨hal-02907462⟩