High-performance Li-air battery after limiting inter-electrode crosstalk

Abstract Li-air battery (LAB), the energy-storage technology with highest theoretical energy density, is still seriously challenged by poor energy efficiency and limited durability though plenty of progresses have been made. In this work, we demonstrate that high performance LAB operated in N2-O2 (78:22) atmosphere could be achieved after limiting the inter-electrode crosstalk. The Li+-filtration membrane placed between electrodes could tailor the side reactions on lithium and suppress the anodic consumption of solvents & additives. With the adoption of lab-made blocking layer, the optimal cells stably operate for 1500 cycles with energy efficiencies as high as 90∼95%, significantly better than other energy-storage systems. This approach presents the necessity of inhibiting inter-electrode crosstalk in LAB to the community, which shed light on the practical utilization of LAB as secondary batteries in the future.