A non-Newtonian fluid quasi-solid electrolyte designed for long life and high safety Li-O batteries.

The Li dendrite growth and the liquid electrolyte volatilization under semi-open architecture are intrinsic issues for Li-O battery. In this work, we propose a non-Newtonian fluid quasi-solid electrolyte (NNFQSE) SiO-SOLi/PVDF-HFP, which has both shear-thinning and shear-thickening properties. The component interactions among the sulfonated silica nanoparticles, liquid electrolyte, and polymer network are beneficial for decent Li conductivity and high liquid electrolyte retention without volatilization. Furthermore, NNFQSE exhibits shear-thinning property to eliminate the stress of dendrite growth during repeated cycling. Meanwhile, when the force suddenly increases, such as a high current rate, the NNFQSE may dynamically turn shear-thickening to respond and mechanically stiffen to inhibit the lithium dendrite penetration. By coupling with the NNFQSE, the lithium symmetrical battery can run over 2000 h under 1 mA cm at room temperature, and the quasi-solid Li-O battery actualizes long life above 5000 h at 100 mA g.