Dendrite-growth Suppressible Poly(ethylene)-based Separator Functionalized by Waste Oyster Shell Recycling

<p>Although lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) have attracted significant attention as advanced energy storage systems, the rapid growth of dendritic Li causes drastic thermal runaway because it is hard to control the growth of dendritic Li using conventional polyethylene (PE) separators. This study aims to develop dendrite-suppressible PE separators by incorporating waste oyster shells (OS). Although OS are considered marine wastes, they have a high shear modulus that can suppress Li dendrite growth, suggesting that incorporating OS into the PE separator would improve the mechanical properties of the PE separator. The OS are embedded onto the PE separator by the blade-casting method, and analysis of the thermal and electrochemical behaviors indicates that the OS-incorporated PE separator is compatible with the Li metal anode. Consequently, the OS-incorporated PE separator exhibits stable cycling behavior in the Li||Li symmetric cell, in addition to the Li||LiMn<sub>0.6</sub>Fe<sub>0.4</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> (LMFP64), compared to that cycled with unmodified PE.</p>