Modelling the Polymer Electrolyte/Li-Metal Interface by Molecular Dynamics simulations

Solid polymer electrolytes are considered promising candidates for application in Li-metal batteries due to their comparatively high mechanical strength, which can prevent dendrite formation. In this study, we have performed Molecular Dynamics simulations to investigate structural and dynamical properties of a common polymer electrolyte, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) doped with LiTFSI salt in the presence of a Li metal surface. Both a physical (solid wall) and a chemical (slab) model of the Li (100) surface have been applied, and the results are also compared with a model of the bulk electrolyte. The average coordination numbers for oxygen atoms around the Li ions are ca. 6 for all investigated systems. However, the calculated Radial Distribution Functions (RDFs) for Li⁺-O_PEO and Li⁺-O_TFSI show sharper peaks for the Li slab model, indicating a more well-defined coordination sphere for Li⁺ in this system. This is clearly a surface effect, since the RDF for Li⁺ in the interface region exhibits sharper peaks than in the bulk region of the same system. The simulations also display a high accumulation of TFSI anions and Li⁺ cations close to interface regions. This also leads to slower dynamics of the ionic transport in the systems, which have a Li-metal surface present, as seen from the calculated mean-square-displacement functions. The accumulation of ions close to the surface is thus likely to induce a polarization close to the electrode.