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Spatial and morphology control over lithium (Li) metal nucleation and growth, as well as improving Li Coulombic efficiency (CE), are among the most challenging issues for rechargeable Li metal batteries. Here, we report that LiAsF 6 and cyclic carbonate additives such as vinylene carbonate (VC) or fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) can work synergistically to address these challenges. It is revealed that LiAsF 6 can be reduced to Li x As alloy and LiF, which act as nanosized seeds for Li growth and form a robust solid electrolyte interface layer. The addition of VC or FEC not only enables the uniform distribution of Li x As seeds but also improves the flexibility of the solid electrolyte interface layer. As a result, highly compact, uniform, and dendrite-free Li film with vertically aligned column structure can be obtained with increased Li CE, and the Li metal batteries using the electrolyte with both LiAsF 6 and cyclic carbonate additives can have improved cycle life.
Ren et al. (2017) studied this question.