Improving Cycling Performance of Anode-Free Lithium\nBatteries by Pressure and Voltage Control

Abstract

Anode-free\nlithium batteries (AFLBs) have great potential to provide\na higher energy density than most other batteries. However, the performance\nof AFLBs is very sensitive to pressure and other operating parameters.\nIn this work, the operating voltage range and the internal pressures\napplied to AFLBs using a localized high-concentration electrolyte\nhave been optimized for the coin cells widely used in the early stage\nresearch of AFLBs. With an optimized cycling protocol, a thin layer\nof uniform nucleation sites can be formed during the initial cycle,\nwhich will facilitate smooth Li deposition/stripping in the subsequent\ncycles of AFLBs. The solid–electrolyte interphase layer formed\nunder optimized pressure and uniform pressure distribution exhibits\n good stability for long-term cycling. The internal pressure in the\ncoin cells has been optimized to improve the cycling performance of\nAFLBs (Cu||NMC811) with 72% capacity retention in 100 cycles.