Lithium-Ion Charged Polymer Channels Flattening Lithium Metal Anode

The concentration difference in the near-surface region of lithium metal is the main cause of lithium dendrite growth. Resolving this issue will be key to achieving high-performance lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Herein, we construct a lithium nitrate (LiNO₃)-implanted electroactive β phase polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) crystalline polymorph layer (PHL). The electronegatively charged polymer chains attain lithium ions on the surface to form lithium-ion charged channels. These channels act as reservoirs to sustainably release Li ions to recompense the ionic flux of electrolytes, decreasing the growth of lithium dendrites. The stretched molecular channels can also accelerate the transport of Li ions. The combined effects enable a high Coulombic efficiency of 97.0% for 250 cycles in lithium (Li)||copper (Cu) cell and a stable symmetric plating/stripping behavior over 2000 h at 3 mA cm^-2 with ultrahigh Li utilization of 50%. Furthermore, the full cell coupled with PHL-Cu@Li anode and LiFePO₄ cathode exhibits long-term cycle stability with high-capacity retention of 95.9% after 900 cycles. Impressively, the full cell paired with LiNi_0.87Co_0.1Mn_0.03O₂ maintains a discharge capacity of 170.0 mAh g^-1 with a capacity retention of 84.3% after 100 cycles even under harsh condition of ultralow N/P ratio of 0.83. This facile strategy will widen the potential application of LiNO₃ in ester-based electrolyte for practical high-voltage LMBs.