Enabling Anode-Less Lithium Batteries via Sacrificial Salts: An In-Depth Feasibility Analysis

Anode-less batteries have gained due attention, considering the easy industrial and safer processes involved. The initial absence of an anode ideally improves the gravimetric and volumetric capacity in a battery, and the assembly process is made easier with no handling of reactive metals. Sacrificial salts, on the other hand, have been shown to be feasible in general for batteries and supercapacitors as a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) forming agent and supplying additional Li or Na to compensate for that spent in the building of SEI. Herein, for the first time, an in-depth analysis has been made on employing sacrificial salt as an effective component for anode-less systems. A clear understanding of the composition of the SEI, cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI), Li metal deposition, and homogeneity of the interphases has been studied to explore the numerous advantages that the sacrificial salts can offer.