Reshaping Lithium Plating/Stripping Behavior via Bifunctional Polymer Electrolyte for Room-Temperature Solid Li Metal Batteries

High-energy rechargeable Li metal batteries are hindered by dendrite growth due to the use of a liquid electrolyte. Solid polymer electrolytes, as promising candidates to solve the above issue, are expected to own high Li ion conductivity without sacrificing mechanical strength, which is still a big challenge to realize. In this study, a bifunctional solid polymer electrolyte exactly having these two merits is proposed with an interpenetrating network of poly(ether–acrylate) (ipn-PEA) and realized via photopolymerization of ion-conductive poly(ethylene oxide) and branched acrylate. The ipn-PEA electrolyte with facile processing capability integrates high mechanical strength (ca. 12 GPa) with high room-temperature ionic conductance (0.22 mS cm–1), and significantly promotes uniform Li plating/stripping. Li metal full cells assembled with ipn-PEA electrolyte and cathodes within 4.5 V vs Li+/Li operate effectively at a rate of 5 C and cycle stably at a rate of 1 C at room temperature. Because of its fabrication simplicity and compelling characteristics, the bifunctional ipn-PEA electrolyte reshapes the feasibility of room-temperature solid-state Li metal batteries.