Bifunctional 1-Boc-3-Iodoazetidine Enhancing Lithium Anode Stability and Rechargeability of Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Lithium anode protection is an effective strategy to prohibit the continuous loss of redox mediators (RMs) resulting from the unfavorable "shuttle effect" in lithium-oxygen batteries. In this work, an in situ Li anode protection method is designed by utilizing an organic compound, 1-Boc-3-iodoazetidine (BIA), as both a RM and an additive, to form a lithium anode protective layer. The reaction between Li metal and BIA can form lithium iodide (LiI) and lithium-based organometallic. LiI can effectively reduce the charging overpotential. Meanwhile, the in situ-formed anode protection layer (lithium-based organometallic) can not only effectively prevent RMs from being reduced by the lithium metal, but also inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites. As a result, the lithium-oxygen battery with BIA shows a long cycle life of 260 cycles with a notably reduced charging potential. In particular, the battery with BIA achieves an excellent lifespan of 160 cycles at a large current density of 2000 mA g.