Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2017, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (3): 486-499.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB201611181

• REVIEW • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Recent Advances in Li Anode for Aprotic Li-O2 Batteries

Yan-Tao ZHANG1,2,Zhen-Jie LIU1,2,Jia-Wei WANG1,Liang WANG1,2,Zhang-Quan PENG1,*()   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China
    2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
  • Received:2016-09-29 Published:2017-03-07
  • Contact: Zhang-Quan PENG E-mail:zqpeng@ciac.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21605136);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91545129);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21575135);"Strategic Priority Research Program"of the CAS(XDA09010401);"Recruitment Program of Global Youth Experts"of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFB0100100);Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province, China(20150623002TC);Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province, China(20160414034GH)

Abstract:

The aprotic Li-O2 battery has attracted considerable interest in recent years because of its high theoretical specific energy that is far greater than that achievable with state-of-the-art Li-ion technologies. To date, most Li-O2 studies, based on a cell configuration with a Li metal anode, aprotic Li+ electrolyte and porous O2 cathode, have focused on O2 reactions at the cathode. However, these reactions might be complicated by the use of Li metal anode. This is because both the electrolyte and O2 (from cathode) can react with the Li metal and some parasitic products could cross over to the cathode and interfere with the O2 reactions occurring therein. In addition, the possibility of dendrite formation on the Li anode, during its multiple plating/stripping cycles, raises serious safety concerns that impede the realization of practical Li-O2 cells. Therefore, solutions to these issues are urgently needed to achieve a reversible and safety Li anode. This review summarizes recent advances in this field and strategies for achieving high performance Li anode for use in aprotic Li-O2 batteries. Topics include alternative counter/reference electrodes, electrolytes and additives, composite protection layers and separators, and advanced experimental techniques for studying the Li anode|electrolyte interface. Future developments in relation to Li anode for aprotic Li-O2 batteries are also discussed.

Key words: Lithium-oxygen battery, Lithium metal anode, Li anode stability, Solid electrolyte interphase layer