Bifunctional additive phenyl vinyl sulfone for boosting cyclability of lithium metal batteries

One of the bottlenecks limiting the cycling stability of high voltage lithium metal batteries (LMBs) is the lack of suitable electrolytes. Herein, phenyl vinyl sulfone (PVS) is proposed as a multifunctional additive to stabilize both cathode and anode interfaces as it can be preferentially oxidized/reduced on the electrode surfaces. The PVS derived solid electrolyte interphase films can not only reduce the transition metal dissolution on the cathode side, but also suppress the Li dendrite spread on the lithium anode side. The Li||Li symmetric battery with PVS addition delivers longer cycle life and a higher critical current density of over 3.0 mAh cm⁻². The LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811)||Li full cell exhibits excellent capacity retention of 80.8% or 80.0% after 400 cycles at 0.5 C or 1 C rate with the voltage range of 3.0–4.3 V. In particular, the NCM811||Li cell under constrained conditions remains operation over 150 cycles. This work offers new insights into the electrolyte formulations for the next generation of LMBs.