(571e) Enhancing the Stability of Silicon-Based Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Stabilized Lithium Metal Powder (SLMP)

Silicon (Si) has been considered as one of the most promising replacements for graphite anodes in next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to its superior specific capacity. However, the irreversible consumption of lithium (Li) ions in Si-based anodes, which is associated with a large volume expansion upon lithiation and the continuous formation of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI), is especially detrimental to full-cell batteries whose Li-ion reserve is limited. Here, we describe the application of stabilized lithium metal particles (SLMP) as a pre-lithiation method for Si anodes that can be readily incorporated into large-scale industrial battery manufacturing. Particularly, a surfactant-stabilized SLMP dispersion was designed to be spray-coated onto pre-fabricated Si composite anodes, forming a uniformly distributed and well adhered SLMP layer for in-situ pre-lithiation. Cycled Si anodes from full-cells were also examined with surface analysis techniques (XPS and ToF-SIMS), demonstrating SLMP effects in modifying the SEI by increasing the inorganic content, particularly LiF, which had been widely credited with improving SEI morphology and Li-ion diffusion through the interphase.