Metal chloride perovskite thin film based interfacial layer for shielding lithium metal from liquid electrolyte

Abstract

Fabricating a robust interfacial layer on the lithium metal anode to isolate it from liquid electrolyte is vital to restrain the rapid degradation of a lithium metal battery. Here, we report that the solution-processed metal chloride perovskite thin film can be coated onto the lithium metal surface as a robust interfacial layer to shield the lithium metal from liquid electrolyte. Via phase analysis and density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that the perovskite layer can allow fast lithium ion shuttle under a low energy barrier of 0.45 eV without the collapse of framework. Such perovskite modification can realize stable cycling of LiCoO₂|Li cells with an areal capacity of 2.8 mAh cm⁻² using thin lithium metal foil (50 μm) and limited electrolyte (20 μl mAh⁻¹) for over 100 cycles at 0.5 C. The metal chloride perovskite protection strategy could open a promising avenue for advanced lithium metal batteries.

Metal halide perovskite is well-known for the high absorption coefficient; however, its Li-ion transport property remains poorly explored. Here the authors coat an ion conducting metal chloride perovskite interfacial layer on the Li metal anode, enabling good battery performance.