Reductive Competition Effect-Derived Solid Electrolyte Interphase with Evenly Scattered Inorganics Enabling Ultrahigh Rate and Long-Life Span Sodium Metal Batteries

Shuang Wan; Keming Song; Jiacheng Chen; Shunshun Zhao; Weiting Ma; Weihua Chen; Shimou Chen

doi:10.1021/jacs.3c08224

Reductive Competition Effect-Derived Solid Electrolyte Interphase with Evenly Scattered Inorganics Enabling Ultrahigh Rate and Long-Life Span Sodium Metal Batteries

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Oct 4;145(39):21661-21671. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c08224. Epub 2023 Sep 19.

Authors

Shuang Wan¹, Keming Song², Jiacheng Chen², Shunshun Zhao¹, Weiting Ma¹, Weihua Chen², Shimou Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Process and Technology of Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P. R. China.
² College of Chemistry & Green Catalysis Center, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China.

PMID: 37724914
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08224

Abstract

Constructing an inorganic-rich and robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is one of the crucial approaches to improving the electrochemical performance of sodium metal batteries (SMBs). However, the low conductivity and distribution of common inorganics in SEI disturb Na⁺ diffusion and induce nonuniform sodium deposition. Here, we construct a unique SEI with evenly scattered high-conductivity inorganics by introducing a self-sacrifice LiTFSI into the sodium salt-base carbonate electrolyte. The reductive competition effect between LiTFSI and FEC facilitates the formation of the SEI with evenly scattered inorganics. In which the high-conductive Li₃N and inorganics provide fast ions transport domains and high-flux nucleation sites for Na⁺, thus conducive to rapid sodium deposition at a high rate. Therefore, the SEI derived from LiTFSI and FEC enables the Na∥Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cell to show 89.15% capacity retention (87.62 mA h g^-1) at an ultrahigh rate of 60 C after 10,000 cycles, while the cell without LiTFSI delivers only 48.44% capacity retention even after 8000 cycles. Moreover, the Na∥Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ pouch cell with the special SEI presents a stable capacity retention of 92.05% at 10 C after 2000 cycles. This unique SEI design elucidates a new strategy to propel SMBs to operate under extreme high-rate conditions.