Fluorinated Aromatic Diluent for High‐Performance Lithium Metal Batteries

Abstract In lithium metal batteries, electrolytes containing a high concentration of salts have demonstrated promising cyclability, but their practicality with respect to the cost of materials is yet to be proved. Here we report a fluorinated aromatic compound, namely 1,2‐difluorobenzene, for use as a diluent solvent in the electrolyte to realize the “high‐concentration effect”. The low energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), weak binding affinity for lithium ions, and high fluorine‐donating power of 1,2‐difluorobenzene jointly give rise to the high‐concentration effect at a bulk salt concentration near 2 m , while modifying the composition of the solid‐electrolyte‐interphase (SEI) layer to be rich in lithium fluoride (LiF). The employment of triple salts to prevent corrosion of the aluminum current collector further improves cycling performance. This study offers a design principle for achieving a local high‐concentration effect with reasonably low bulk concentrations of salts.