Research progress in stabilization of interface and bulk structure of lithium metal anodes

Abstract

With the rapid development of information technology，electrification and new energy technologies， portable electric devices，electric vehicles and energy storage facilities require rechargeable batteries with higher energy density.However， the energy density of widely used lithium-ion batteries is approaching the limit， which cannot meet the above demands. Therefore it is urgent to explore new electrochemical systems with higher energy density. Lithium metal anode is a promising candidate for achieving next-generation high-energy-density batteries due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity （3860 mAh·g-1） and most negative electrochemical potential （-3.04 V vs SHE）. However， during the few decades， the practical application of lithium metal batteries has been hindered by short lifetime and safety issues. In this paper， the history and development of lithium metal batteries were introduced， and the current issues and corresponding mechanisms were analyzed， such as high reactivity， lithium dendrites， dead lithium and volume expansion. Some strategies to deal with the above problems in terms of interface and bulk structure design， including the protection layers formed ex situ/in situ， lithium-based alloys and 3D composite lithium metal anodes，were proposed. Finally，the future developments of practical lithium metal anodes based on constraints for actual batteries， crosstalk of electrodes and failure mechanisms of large-capacity batteries were discussed.

Keywords

• lithium metal anode
• rechargeable battery
• interface design
• bulk structure design