Practical considerations for enabling Li|polymer electrolyte batteries

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) hold promise to deliver high energy densities, but their commercial application is hampered by challenges such as inhomogeneous lithium deposition or capacity fading due to irreversible processes at electrode interfaces. Focusing on polymer-based electrolytes, the importance of realistic benchmarks in energy density as well as key characteristics governing the cycling reversibility of cells are thoroughly discussed, evaluating projected energy densities of lab-scale and multilayered pouch cells. To facilitate a meaningful comparison of reported cell data, the average energy released per cycle is highlighted as a metric. In addition, the electrochemical performance of polymer-based systems is compared with liquid- and ceramic-based systems, covering recent advances while offering perspectives toward further advancement of high performance and durable energy storage applications based on LMBs.