Rough electrodeposition, uncontrolled parasitic side-reactions with electrolytes and dendrite-induced short-circuits have hindered development of advanced energy storage technologies based on metallic lithium, sodium and aluminium electrodes. Solid polymer electrolytes and nanoparticle-polymer composites have shown promise as candidates to suppress lithium dendrite growth, but the challenge of simultaneously maintaining high mechanical strength and high ionic conductivity at room temperature has so far been unmet in these materials. Here we report a facile and scalable method of fabricating tough, freestanding membranes that combine the best attributes of solid polymers, nanocomposites and gel-polymer electrolytes. Hairy nanoparticles are employed as multifunctional nodes for polymer crosslinking, which produces mechanically robust membranes that are exceptionally effective in inhibiting dendrite growth in a lithium metal battery. The membranes are also reported to enable stable cycling of lithium batteries paired with conventional intercalating cathodes. Our findings appear to provide an important step towards room-temperature dendrite-free batteries.

Nature Communications 6, Article number: 10101 doi:10.1038/ncomms10101
Received 01 June 2015 Accepted 03 November 2015 Published 04 December 2015

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/151204/ncomms10101/full/ncomms10101.html

粗糙的电沉积、不可控的电解质副反应以及树突诱导的短路问题严重阻碍了基于锂、钠、铝电池储能技术的发展。固态聚合物电解质和纳米粒子-聚合物复合物作为有希望的备选材料可以抑制锂离子的晶枝生长，但是问题在于这些材料难以在室温下同时保持高的机械强度和高的离子电导率。 Choudhury 等人报道了一种简易可放大的方法，可以加工制备坚固、无支撑的薄膜。薄膜汇集了固态聚合物、纳米复合物和胶体-聚合物电解质的优点。茸状的纳米粒子可以作为用于聚合物交联的多功能节点，这样一来增强了薄膜的机械强度，同时又可以有效抑制锂离子晶枝的生长。此外，与传统的阴极材料搭配使用后，这种薄膜还可以增强电池的稳定性。（新材料在线）