Difluoroester solvent toward fast-rate anion-intercalation lithium metal batteries under extreme conditions

Anion-intercalation lithium metal batteries (AILMBs) are appealing due to their low cost and fast intercalation/de-intercalation kinetics of graphite cathodes. However, the safety and cycliability of existing AILMBs are constrained by the scarcity of compatible electrolytes. Herein, we showcase that a difluoroester can be applied as electrolyte solvent to realize high-performance AILMBs, which not only endows high oxidation resistance, but also efficiently tunes the solvation shell to enable highly reversible and kinetically fast cathode reaction beyond the trifluoro counterpart. The difluoroester-based electrolyte demonstrates nonflammability, high ionic conductivity, and electrochemical stability, along with excellent electrode compatibility. The Li| |graphite AILMBs reach a high durability of 10000 cycles with only a 0.00128% capacity loss per cycle under fast-cycling of 1 A g⁻¹, and retain ~63% of room-temperature capacity when discharging at −65 °C, meanwhile supply stable power output under deformation and overcharge conditions. The electrolyte design paves a promising path toward fast-rate, low-temperature, durable, and safe AILMBs. © The Author(s) 2024.