Understanding the Lifetime of Battery Cells Based on Solid-State Li6PS5Cl Electrolyte Paired with Lithium Metal Electrode

All-solid-state batteries with solid electrolytes having ionic conductivities in the range of those of liquid electrolytes have gained much interest as safety is still a major issue for applications. Meanwhile, lithium metal seems to be the anode material of choice to face the demand for higher capacities. Still, the main challenges that come with the use of a lithium metal anode, i.e., formation and growth of lithium dendrites, are still not understood very well. This work focuses on the reasons of the lifetime behavior of lithium symmetric cells with the solid electrolyte Li6PS5Cl and lithium electrode. In particular, the voltage increases during the application of a constant current density are investigated. The interface between the lithium metal electrode and the solid electrolyte is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the resistance changes of each electrode during stripping and plating are investigated by impedance spectroscopy on a three-electrode cell. A main factor for the lifetime influenced by lithium dendrite formation and growth is the buildup of a lithium vacancy gradient, leading to voids which decrease the interface area and therefore increase the local current density. Additionally, those lithium vacancies in lithium metal represent a limitation for conductivity rather than migration in solid electrolyte. Further experiments indicate that the seedlike plating behavior of lithium also plays a key role in increased local current density and therefore decreased lifetime. Plating of only a small amount of lithium leads to small areas of well-connected interfaces, resulting in high local current density. A medium amount of plated lithium leads to larger areas of interface between lithium and electrolyte, balancing the current density distribution. In contrast, a high amount of repeatedly deposited lithium leads to lithium seed plating on top of already plated lithium. Those seed spots grown on top represent a better interface connection, which again leads to higher local current densities at those spots and therefore results in shorter lifetimes due to short circuits caused by lithium dendrites.