Highly stable performance of lithium-sulfurized polyacrylonitrile batteries using a lean ether-based electrolyte.

Lithium dendrites are considered the worst problem for lithium metal batteries. Herein, an ether-based electrolyte is proposed for highly stable performance of lithium-sulfurized polyacrylonitrile batteries with lean electrolyte and high areal capacity. This lean ether-based electrolyte not only suppresses the growth of lithium dendrites, but also prevents the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides and maintains low volatility. By employing this ether-based electrolyte in lithium-sulfurized polyacrylonitrile batteries, a reversible specific capacity of 670 mA h g-1 with 7 µl mg-1 electrolyte and 4 mA h cm-2, and a capacity fading rate of 0.08% per cycle for 300 cycles were obtained.