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1. Role of Lithium Iodide Addition to Lithium Thiophosphate: Implications beyond Conductivity

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b05286  

   Singh, Nikhilendra; Horwath, James P.; Bonnick, Patrick; Suto, Koji; Stach, Eric A.; Matsunaga, Tomoya; Muldoon, John; Arthur, Timothy S. (September 2020, Chemistry of Materials)

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2. The intrinsic behavior of lithium fluoride in solid electrolyte interphases on lithium

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911017116  

   He, Mingfu; Guo, Rui; Hobold, Gustavo M.; Gao, Haining; Gallant, Betar M. (December 2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Lithium is the most attractive anode material for high-energy density rechargeable batteries, but its cycling is plagued by morphological irreversibility and dendrite growth that arise in part from its heterogeneous “native” solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Enriching the SEI with lithium fluoride (LiF) has recently gained popularity to improve Li cyclability. However, the intrinsic function of LiF—whether chemical, mechanical, or kinetic in nature—remains unknown. Herein, we investigated the stability of LiF in model LiF-enriched SEIs that are either artificially preformed or derived from fluorinated electrolytes, and thus, the effect of the LiF source on Li electrode behavior. We discovered that the mechanical integrity of LiF is easily compromised during plating, making it intrinsically unable to protect Li. The ensuing in situ repair of the interface by electrolyte, either regenerating LiF or forming an extra elastomeric “outer layer,” is identified as the more critical determinant of Li electrode performance. Our findings present an updated and dynamic picture of the LiF-enriched SEI and demonstrate the need to carefully consider the combined role of ionic and electrolyte-derived layers in future design strategies. 

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3. The Relevance of Lithium Salt Solvate Crystals in Superconcentrated Electrolytes in Lithium Batteries

   https://doi.org/10.3390/en16093700  

   Klorman, Jake A.; Lau, Kah Chun (May 2023, Energies)

   Based on the unique ubiquity of similar solvate structures found in solvate crystals and superconcentrated electrolytes, we performed a systematic study of four reported solvate crystals which consist of different lithium salts (i.e., LiMPSA, LiTFSI, LiDFOB, and LiBOB) solvated by acetonitrile (MeCN) based on first principles calculations. Based on the calculations, these solvate crystals are predicted to be electronic insulators and are expected to be similar to their insulating liquid counterpart (e.g., 4 M superconcentrated LiTFSI-MeCN electrolyte), which has been confirmed to be a promising electrolyte in lithium batteries. Although the MeCN molecule is highly unstable during the reduction process, it is found that the salt-MeCN solvate molecules (e.g., LiTFSI-(MeCN)2, LiDFOB-(MeCN)2) and their charged counterparts (anions and cations) are both thermodynamically and electrochemically stable, which can be confirmed by Raman vibrational modes through the unique characteristic variation in C≡N bond stretching of MeCN molecules. Therefore, in addition to the development of new solvents or lithium salts, we suggest it is possible to utilize the formation of superconcentrated electrolytes with improved electrochemical stability based on existing known compounds to facilitate the development of novel electrolyte design in advanced lithium batteries. 

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4. Lithium Mechanics: Roles of Strain Rate and Temperature and Implications for Lithium Metal Batteries

   https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0221902jes  

   LePage, William S.; Chen, Yuxin; Kazyak, Eric; Chen, Kuan-Hung; Sanchez, Adrian J.; Poli, Andrea; Arruda, Ellen M.; Thouless, M. D.; Dasgupta, Neil P. (January 2019, Journal of The Electrochemical Society)
5. Kinetics of lithium electrodeposition and stripping

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0023771  

   Sripad, Shashank; Korff, Daniel; DeCaluwe, Steven C.; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian (November 2020, The Journal of Chemical Physics)