Type
ArticleAuthors
Choudhury, Snehashis
Wan, Charles Tai-Chieh

Al Sadat, Wajdi I.

Tu, Zhengyuan
Lau, Sampson

Zachman, Michael J.

Kourkoutis, Lena F.

Archer, Lynden A.

KAUST Grant Number
KUS-C1-018-02Date
2017-04-19Online Publication Date
2017-04-19Print Publication Date
2017-04Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/623533
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An electrochemical cell based on the reversible oxygen reduction reaction: 2Li+ + 2e− + O2 ↔ Li2O2, provides among the most energy dense platforms for portable electrical energy storage. Such Lithium-Oxygen (Li-O2) cells offer specific energies competitive with fossil fuels and are considered promising for electrified transportation. Multiple, fundamental challenges with the cathode, anode, and electrolyte have limited practical interest in Li-O2 cells because these problems lead to as many practical shortcomings, including poor rechargeability, high overpotentials, and specific energies well below theoretical expectations. We create and study in-situ formation of solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs) based on bromide ionomers tethered to a Li anode that take advantage of three powerful processes for overcoming the most stubborn of these challenges. The ionomer SEIs are shown to protect the Li anode against parasitic reactions and also stabilize Li electrodeposition during cell recharge. Bromine species liberated during the anchoring reaction also function as redox mediators at the cathode, reducing the charge overpotential. Finally, the ionomer SEI forms a stable interphase with Li, which protects the metal in high Gutmann donor number liquid electrolytes. Such electrolytes have been reported to exhibit rare stability against nucleophilic attack by Li2O2 and other cathode reaction intermediates, but also react spontaneously with Li metal anodes. We conclude that rationally designed SEIs able to regulate transport of matter and ions at the electrolyte/anode interface provide a promising platform for addressing three major technical barriers to practical Li-O2 cells.Citation
Choudhury S, Wan CT-C, Al Sadat WI, Tu Z, Lau S, et al. (2017) Designer interphases for the lithium-oxygen electrochemical cell. Science Advances 3: e1602809. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1602809.Sponsors
We are grateful to the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (award DE-AR-0000750) for supporting this study. The study made use of the characterization facilities of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)–Cornell University Center for Energy and Sustainability, which was supported by the KAUST through award number KUS-C1-018-02. Electron microscopy facilities at the Cornell Center for Materials Research, an NSF-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center through grant DMR-1120296, were also used for the study. Additional support for the FIB/SEM cryo-stage and transfer system was provided by the Kavli Institute at Cornell and the Energy Materials Center at Cornell and the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Center, Basic Energy Sciences (DE-SC0001086). M.J.Z. and L.F.K. acknowledge support by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.Journal
Science AdvancesAdditional Links
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/4/e1602809ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1126/sciadv.1602809
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