Comparison of different current collector materials for in situ lithium deposition with slurry-based solid electrolyte layers

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate different current collector materials for in situ deposition of lithium using a slurry-based β-Li3PS4 electrolyte layer with a focus on transferability to industrial production. Therefore, half-cells with different current collector materials (carbon-coated aluminum, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel) are prepared and plating/stripping tests are performed. The results are compared in terms of Coulombic efficiency (CE) and overvoltages. The stainless steel current collector shows the best performance, with a mean efficiency of ηmean,SST=98%; the carbon-coated aluminum reaches ηmean,Al+C=97%. The results for pure aluminum and nickel indicate strong side reactions. In addition, an approach is tested in which a solvate ionic liquid (SIL) is added to the solid electrolyte layer. Compared to the cell setup without SIL, this cannot further increase the CE; however, a significant reduction in overvoltages is achieved.