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Suffering from critical instability of lithium (Li) anode, the most commercial electrolytes, carbonate-ester electrolytes, have been restrictedly used in high-energy Li metal batteries (LMBs) despite of their broad implementation in lithium-ion batteries. Here, abundant, natural corn protein, zein, is exploited as a novel additive to stabilize Li anode and effectively prolong the cycling life of LMBs based on carbonate-ester electrolyte. It is discovered that the denatured zein is involved in the formation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), guides Li+ deposition and repairs the cracked SEI. In specific, the zein-rich SEI benefits the anion immobilization, enabling uniform Li+ deposition to diminish dendrite growth; the preferential zein-Li reaction effectively repairs the cracked SEI, protecting Li from parasite reactions. The resulting symmetrical Li cell exhibits a prolonged cycling life to over 350 h from <200 h for pristine cell at 1 mA cm 2 with a capacity of 1 mAh cm^ 2. Paired with LiFePO4 cathode, zein additive markedly improves the electrochemical performance including a higher capacity of 130.1 mAh g^ 1 and a higher capacity retention of ~ 80 % after 200 cycles at 1 C. This study demonstrates a natural protein to be an effective additive for the most commercial electrolytes for advancing performance of LMBs.
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A Bioinspired Coating for Stabilizing Li Metal Batteries
With plenty of charges and rich functional groups, bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein provides effective transport for multiple metallic ions inside blood vessels. Inspired by the unique ionic transport function, we develop a BSA protein coating to stabilize Li anode, regulate Li+ transport, and resolve the Li dendrite growth for Li metal batteries (LMBs). The experimental and simulation studies demonstrate that the coating has strong interactions with Li metal, increases the wetting with electrolyte, reduces the electrolyte/Li side reactions, and significantly suppresses the Li dendrite formation. As a result, the BSA coating exhibits excellent stability in the electrolyte and improves the performance of Li|Cu and Li|Li cells as well as the LiFePO4|Li batteries. This work reveals that LMBs can benefit from the biological function of BSA, i.e., special transport capability of metallic ions, and lays an important foundation in design of protein-based materials for effectively enhancing the electrochemical performance of energy storage systems.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1929236
- PAR ID:
- 10471268
- Publisher / Repository:
- ACS Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 38
- ISSN:
- 1944-8244
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 43886 to 43896
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- bioinspired, protein, bovine serum albumin, lithium anode, battery
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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