Improvement in safety and cycle life of lithium-ion batteries by employing quercetin as an electrolyte additive

► Quercetin, an organic antioxidant, has been employed as an additive in lithium cells. ► The quercetin enhances the electrochemical performance and the overcharging tolerance of EC/EMC/DMC electrolyte. ► The quercetin-containing lithium battery shows excellent capacity retention under 1 C over 350 cycles. ► The addition of quercetin in the electrolyte shows smaller resistance than controlled one after cycling.