LITHIUM-SELENIUM BATTERY CONTAINING AN ELECTRODE-PROTECTING LAYER AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING CYCLE-LIFE

Provided is a lithium-selenium battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator/electrolyte assembly, wherein the anode comprises an anode active layer containing lithium or lithium alloy as an anode active material, and the cathode comprises a cathode active layer comprising a selenium-containing material, wherein an anode-protecting layer is disposed between the anode active layer and the separator/electrolyte and/or a cathode-protecting layer is disposed between the cathode active layer and the separator/electrolyte; the protecting layer contains a composite comprising from 0.01% to 50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material and has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 μm, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10S/cm to 5×10S/cm, and an electrical conductivity from 10S/cm to 100 S/cm.