Solid electrolyte interphase layer induced electrochemical behavior diversity of aluminum foil anode for lithium ion batteries

Metal or alloy foil anode has attracted great attention for high energy density and low-cost Lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the intractable challenges are still the low tolerance of volume change induced pulverization and associated solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) successive reconstruction, which leads to the fast performance degradation of LIBs. The SEI layer is supposed to play an important role in maintaining good charge transport behavior, and mechanical-electrochemical stability of the foil anode during (de) lithiation. Herein, we investigate the electrochemical behavior and corresponding structure evolution of Al foil anode, which exhibit a strong SEI dependence. The thin and robust SEI layer with much abundant LiF components and LiF/Li2CO3 heterostructures exhibits good ion transport capability. This kind of SEI layer can ease the pulverization of the Al anode during (de) lithiation at a certain extent, leading to much improved mechanical-electrochemical stability, Coulombic efficiency (CE), and depolarization phenomenon. The LIBs full-cell demonstrates a gravimetric specific capacity of 120 mAh g−1 at 1 mA cm−2 as long as 400 cycles, with a nearly 100% CE. This report offers an important compensation for systematic solution that can enable great bespoke performances of foil anode for high energy density and low-cost LIBs. •Al foil is employed as “two-in-one” anode for high energy density, low-cost LIBs.•Electrochemical behavior and structure evolution of Al foil exhibit SEI dependence.•Thin and fluorine rich SEI with good ion transport capability can ease pulverization.•LIBs exhibit good stability of 400 cycles with specific capacity of 120 mAh g−1.