Improved morphology of plated lithium in poly(vinylidene fluoride) based electrolyte

The morphology of electrodeposited lithium was observed in the gel electrolyte consisting of the poly(vinylidene fluoride)-hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP) copolymer as a host polymer, LiClO4, and the propylene carbonate (PC)/ethylene carbonate (EC) organic solvents. The dendritic deposition was effectively suppressed in the PVdF-HFP gel electrolyte compared to the LiClO4-PC/EC liquid electrolyte or the polyethylene oxide (PEO) based gel electrolyte. Charge–discharge efficiency of the lithium metal anode was higher in the PVdF-HFP gel electrolyte than that in the liquid or the PEO gel electrolyte, and it was enhanced by CO2 addition as well as observed in the LiClO4-PC/EC liquid electrolyte.