Fluorination Site and Degree Regulate the Decomposition of Fluorinated Ethyl Acetate Solvents on Lithium Metal: A First-Principles Molecular Dynamics Study

Fluorinated carboxylate ester solvents are promising electrolyte components for lithium metal batteries because they can improve oxidative stability and promote LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation. However, how fluorination position and degree regulate their intrinsic decomposition behavior on lithium metal remains unclear. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations were employed to systematically investigate six pure fluorinated ethyl acetate solvents on the Li(001) surface, including α-fluorinated ethyl fluoroacetate (EFA), ethyl difluoroacetate (EDFA), and ethyl trifluoroacetate (ETFA), as well as β-fluorinated 2-fluoroethyl acetate (FEA), 2,2-difluoroethyl acetate (DFEA), and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl acetate (TFEA). Electronic-structure analysis shows that although the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of all six solvents are mainly distributed around the carbonyl and adjacent regions, the dominant electron-accepting center strongly depends on the fluorination position. In α-fluorinated solvents, the LUMO is highly localized on the α-C atom directly bonded to fluorine, whereas in β-fluorinated solvents, it remains concentrated around the carbonyl C atom. Real-time Bader charge and bond-evolution analyses reveal that fluorination position is the primary factor governing the initial decomposition pathway. The α-fluorinated series preferentially undergoes C-F bond cleavage, and increasing fluorination degree induces deeper cascade decomposition; fully fluorinated ETFA even exhibits C=O double bond cleavage. In contrast, β-fluorinated solvents preferentially undergo carbonyl-side C-O bond cleavage, while C-F bond cleavage occurs only in subsequent steps or is completely suppressed. Notably, β-fluorinated solvents retain high chemical stability even with α-H atoms because the LUMO electron density on α-H is negligible. Meanwhile, limited deep decomposition can still provide F− species for SEI formation. These findings establish an atomic-level structure–reactivity relationship for fluorinated carboxylate ester solvents and provide theoretical guidance for designing stable electrolyte solvents for lithium metal batteries.