Despite numerous reported lithium metal batteries(LMBs)with excellent cycling performance achieved in labs,transferring the high performing LMBs from lab-scale to industrial-production remains challeng-ing.Therefore,via imitating the stand-still process in battery production,a conventional but important procedure,to investigate the formation and evolution of a solid electrolyte interface(SEI)is particularly important for LMBs.Our previous studies indicate that zein(corn protein)-modified carbonate-ester elec-trolyte(the most commercialized)effectively improves the performance of LMBs through guiding Li-ions and repairing cracked SEI.Herein,we investigate the formation and evolution of the protein-modified SEIs on Li anodes by imitating the stand-still temperature and duration.A simulation study on the protein denaturation in the electrolyte under different temperatures demonstrates a highly unfolded configura-tion at elevated temperatures.The experiments show that this heat-treated-zein(H-zein)modified SEI forms quickly and becomes stable after a stand-still process of less than 100 min.Moreover,the H-zein SEI exhibits excellent wetting behavior with the electrolyte due to the highly unfolded protein struc-tures with more functional groups exposed.The Li[Li cell with the H-zein SEI achieves prolonged cycling performance(＞360 h vs.～260 h of the cell with the untreated-zein(U-zein)modified SEI).The LiFePO4|Li cell with the H-zein SEI shows much stable long-term cycling performance of capacity retention(70％vs.42％of the cell with U-zein SEI)after 200 cycles.This study confirms that the appropriately treated pro-tein is able to effectively improve the performance of LMBs,and will inspire future studies for the pro-duction process of LMBs toward their commercialization.

Chenxu Wang;Ryan Odstrcil;Jin Liu;Wei-Hong Zhong

School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,Washington State University,Pullman,WA 99164,USA

能源化学

[1]Chenxu Wang;Ryan Odstrcil;Jin Liu;Wei-Hong Zhong-.Protein-modified SEI formation and evolution in Li metal batteries)[J].能源化学,2022(10):248-258

SEIs

Protein,modified,formation,evolution,metal,batteries,Despite,numerous,reported,lithium,LMBs,excellent,cycling,performance,achieved,labs,transferring,performing,from,scale,industrial,production,remains,challeng,Therefore,via,imitating,stand,still,process,battery,conventional,but,important,procedure,investigate,solid,electrolyte,interface,particularly,Our,previous,studies,indicate,that,zein,corn,protein,carbonate,ester,most,commercialized,effectively,improves,through,guiding,ions,repairing,cracked,Herein,anodes,by,duration,simulation,study,denaturation,under,different,temperatures,demonstrates,highly,unfolded,configura,elevated,experiments,this,heat,forms,quickly,becomes,stable,after,less,than,Moreover,exhibits,wetting,behavior,due,struc,more,functional,groups,exposed,achieves,prolonged,untreated,LiFePO4,shows,much,term,capacity,retention,cycles,This,confirms,appropriately,will,inspire,future,toward,their,commercialization

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