Anion-Dominated Solvation in Low-Concentration Electrolytes Promotes Inorganic-Rich Interphase Formation in Lithium Metal Batteries.

While the formation of an inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) plays a crucial role, the persistent challenge lies in the formation of an organic-rich SEI due to the high solvent ratio in low-concentration electrolytes (LCEs), which hinders the achievement of high-performance lithium metal batteries. Herein, by incorporating di-fluoroethylene carbonate (DFEC) as a non-solvating cosolvent, a solvation structure dominated by anions is introduced in the innovative LCE, leading to the creation of a durable and stable inorganic-rich SEI. Leveraging this electrolyte design, the Li||NCM83 cell demonstrates exceptional cycling stability, maintaining 82.85% of its capacity over 500 cycles at 1 C. Additionally, Li||NCM83 cell with a low N/P ratio (≈2.57) and reduced electrolyte volume (30 µL) retain 87.58% of its capacity after 150 cycles at 0.5 C. Direct molecular information is utilized to reveal a strong correlation between solvation structures and reduction sequences, proving the anion-dominate solvation structure can impedes the preferential reduction of solvents and constructs an inorganic-rich SEI. These findings shed light on the pivotal role of solvation structures in dictating SEI composition and battery performance, offering valuable insights for the design of advanced electrolytes for next-generation lithium metal batteries.