A Coaxial‐Interweaved Hybrid Lithium Metal Anode for Long‐Lifespan Lithium Metal Batteries

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising anode materials to construct next‐generation rechargeable batteries owing to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity and the lowest electrochemical potential. Unfortunately, practical application of Li metal batteries is severely hindered by short lifespan and safety concerns caused by Li dendrite growth during cycling. Herein, a coaxial‐interweaved hybrid Li metal anode is proposed for dendrite inhibition that significantly improves the cycling stability of Li metal batteries. The hybrid Li metal anode is fabricated by Li composition into a 3D interweaved scaffold, where each fiber of the interwoven scaffold is composed of a conductive skeleton and a coaxial lithiophilic layer modified on the surface. The coaxial‐interweaved structure endows the hybrid anode with favored Li affinity to guide uniform Li deposition, sufficient channels for ion transportation and electron conduction, and enhanced stability during Li plating and stripping. Consequently, the hybrid Li metal anode affords high Coulombic efficiency over 98.5% for 750 cycles with dendrite‐free morphologies in half cells and improved capacity retention of 80.1% after 100 cycles in LiFePO₄ full cells. The innovative coaxial‐interweaved hybrid Li metal anode demonstrates multiscale design strategy from lithiophilic modification to scaffold construction and promises the prospect of Li metal batteries for future applications.     

Highly Stable Operation of Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by the Formation of a Transient High‐Concentration Electrolyte Layer

Lithium (Li) metal has been extensively investigated as an anode for rechargeable battery applications due to its ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity and the lowest redox potential. However, significant challenges including dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency are still hindering the practical applications of rechargeable Li metal batteries. It is demonstrated that long‐term cycling of Li metal batteries can be realized by the formation of a transient high‐concentration electrolyte layer near the surface of Li metal anode during high rate discharge process. The highly concentrated Li⁺ ions in this transient layer will immediately be solvated by the available solvent molecules and facilitate the formation of a stable and flexible solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer composed of a poly(ethylene carbonate) framework integrated with other organic/inorganic lithium salts. This SEI layer largely suppresses the corrosion of Li metal anode attacked by free organic solvents and enables the long‐term operation of Li metal batteries. The fundamental findings in this work provide a new direction for the development of Li metal batteries that could be operated at high current densities for a wide range of applications.     

Lithiophilic CuO Nanoflowers on Ti‐Mesh Inducing Lithium Lateral Plating Enabling Stable Lithium‐Metal Anodes with Ultrahigh Rates and Ultralong Cycle Life

Lithium (Li) metal anodes are promising candidates for high‐energy‐density batteries. However, uncontrollable dendritic plating behavior and infinite volume expansion are hindering their practical applications. Herein, a novel CuO@Ti‐mesh (CTM) is prepared by microwave‐assisted reactions, followed by pressing on Li wafers, leading to Li/CuO@Ti‐mesh (LCTM) composite anodes. The lithiophilic CuO nanoflowers on Ti‐mesh provides evenly distributed nucleation sites, inducing uniform Li‐ion lateral plating, which can effectively inhibit the growth of Li dendrites and volume expansion during cycling. The as‐prepared LCTM composite anode exhibits high Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 94.2% at 10 mA cm^‐2 over 90 cycles. Meanwhile, the LCTM anode shows a low overpotential of 50 mV at 10 mA cm^‐2 over 16 000 cycles and a low overpotential of 90 and 250 mV even at ultrahigh current densities of 20 and 40 mA cm^‐2. When paired with Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO), it enhances the capacity retention of LTO/Li wafer full cells by about two times from 36.6% to 73.0% and 42.0% to 80.0% at 5C and 10C with long‐term cycling. It is hoped that this LCTM anode with ultrahigh rates and ultralong cycle life may put Li‐metal anode forward to practical applications, such as in Li–S, Li‐air batteries, etc.     

An Interconnected Channel‐Like Framework as Host for Lithium Metal Composite Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal anodes have long been counted on to meet the increasing demand for high energy, high‐power rechargeable battery systems but they have been plagued by uncontrollable plating, unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, and the resulting low Coulombic efficiency. These problems are even aggravated under commercial levels of current density and areal capacity testing conditions. In this work, the channel‐like structure of a carbonized eggplant (EP) as a stable “host” for Li metal melt infusion, is utilized. With further interphase modification of lithium fluoride (LiF), the as‐formed EP–LiF composite anode maintains ≈90% Li metal theoretical capacity and can successfully suppress dendrite growth and volume fluctuation during cycling. EP–LiF offers much improved symmetric cell and full‐cell cycling performance with lower and more stable overpotential under various areal capacity and elevated rate capability. Furthermore, carbonized EP serves as a light‐weight high‐performance current collector, achieving an average Coulombic efficiency ≈99.1% in ether‐based electrolytes with 2.2 mAh cm^?2 cycling areal capacity. The natural structure of carbonized EP will inspire further artificial designs of electrode frameworks for both Li anode and sulfur cathodes, enabling promising candidates for next‐generation high‐energy density batteries.     

Electrokinetic Phenomena Enhanced Lithium‐Ion Transport in Leaky Film for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

The application of lithium (Li) metal anodes in Li metal batteries has been hindered by growth of Li dendrites, which lead to short cycling life. Here a Li‐ion‐affinity leaky film as a protection layer is reported to promote a dendrite‐free Li metal anode. The leaky film induces electrokinetic phenomena to enhance Li‐ion transport, leading to a reduced Li‐ion concentration polarization and homogeneous Li‐ion distribution. As a result, the dendrite‐free Li metal anode during Li plating/stripping is demonstrated even at an extremely high deposition capacity (6 mAh cm^?2) and current density (40 mA cm^?2) with improved Coulombic efficiencies. A full cell battery with the leaky‐film protected Li metal as the anode and high‐areal‐capacity LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM‐811) (≈4.2 mAh cm^?2) or LiFePO₄ (≈3.8 mAh cm^?2) as the cathode shows improved cycling stability and capacity retention, even at lean electrolyte conditions.     

Dendrite‐Free and Performance‐Enhanced Lithium Metal Batteries through Optimizing Solvent Compositions and Adding Combinational Additives

The instability of lithium (Li) metal anodes due to dendritic growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) hinders the practical application of high‐energy‐density Li metal batteries. Here, the systematic studies of improving the stability of Li metal anodes and the electrochemical performance of Li metal batteries through the addition of combinational additives and the optimization of solvent compositions in dual‐salt/carbonate electrolytes are reported. A dendrite‐free and high CE of 98.1% for Li metal anode is achieved. The well‐protected Li metal anode and the excellent cyclability and rate capability of the 4‐V Li metal batteries are obtained. This is attributed to the formation of a robust, denser, more polymeric, and higher ionic conductive surface film on the Li metal anode via the electrochemical reductive decompositions of the electrolyte components and the ring‐opening polymerization of additives and cyclic carbonate solvents. The key findings of this work indicate that the optimization of solvent compositions and the manipulation of additives are facile and effective ways to enhance the performances of Li metal batteries.     

Multifunctional Silanization Interface for High‐Energy and Low‐Gassing Lithium Metal Pouch Cells

Lithium (Li) metal has attracted unprecedented attention as the ultimate anode material for future rechargeable batteries, but the electrochemical behavior (such as Li dendrites and gassing problems) in real Li metal pouch cells has received little attention. To achieve realistic high‐energy Li metal batteries, the designed solid electrolyte interface to suppress both Li dendrites and catastrophic gassing problems is urgently needed at cell level. Here, an efficient multifunctional silanization interface (MSI) is proposed for high‐energy Li metal pouch cells. Such an MSI not only guides uniform nucleation and growth of Li metal but also suppresses interfacial parasitic reactions between Li metal and electrolyte. As a result, under harsh conditions (negative to positive electrode capacity ratio of 2.96 and electrolyte weight to cathode capacity ratio of 2.7 g Ah^?1), a long‐running lifespan (over 160 cycles with a capacity retention of 96% at 1 C), and low‐gassing behavior of realistic high‐energy Li metal pouch cell (1 Ah, 300 Wh kg^?1) is achieved. This work opens a promising avenue toward the commercial applications of high‐energy Li metal batteries.     

Lithium Difluorophosphate‐Based Dual‐Salt Low Concentration Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries

The safety hazards and low Coulombic efficiency originating from the growth of lithium dendrites and decomposition of the electrolyte restrict the practical application of Li metal batteries (LMBs). Inspired by the low cost of low concentration electrolytes (LCEs) in industrial applications, dual‐salt LCEs employing 0.1 m Li difluorophosphate (LiDFP) and 0.4 m LiBOB/LiFSI/LiTFSI are proposed to construct a robust and conductive interphase on a Li metal anode. Compared with the conventional electrolyte using 1 m LiPF₆, the ionic conductivity of LCEs is reduced but the conductivity decrement of the separator immersed in LCEs is moderate, especially for the LiDFP–LiFSI and LiDFP–LiTFSI electrolytes. The accurate Coulombic efficiency (CE) of the Li||Cu cells increases from 83.3% (electrolyte using 1 m LiPF₆) to 97.6%, 94.5%, and 93.6% for LiDFP–LiBOB, LiDFP–LiFSI, and LiDFP–LiTFSI electrolytes, respectively. The capacity retention of Li||LiFePO₄ cells using the LiDFP–LiBOB electrolyte reaches 95.4% along with a CE over 99.8% after 300 cycles at a current density of 2.0 mA cm^?2 and the capacity reaches 103.7 mAh g^?1 at a current density of up to 16.0 mA cm^?2. This work provides a dual‐salt LCE for practical LMBs and presents a new perspective for the design of electrolytes for LMBs.     

Uniform High Ionic Conducting Lithium Sulfide Protection Layer for Stable Lithium Metal Anode

Artificial solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) is one of the key approaches in addressing the low reversibility and dendritic growth problems of lithium metal anode, yet its current effect is still insufficient due to insufficient stability. Here, a new principle of “simultaneous high ionic conductivity and homogeneity” is proposed for stabilizing SEI and lithium metal anodes. Fabricated by a facile, environmentally friendly, and low‐cost lithium solid‐sulfur vapor reaction at elevated temperature, a designed lithium sulfide protective layer successfully maintains its protection function during cycling, which is confirmed by both simulations and experiments. Stable dendrite‐free cycling of lithium metal anode is realized even at a high areal capacity of 5 mAh cm^?2, and prototype Li–Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ cell with limited lithium also achieves 900 stable cycles. These findings give new insight into the ideal SEI composition and structure and provide new design strategies for stable lithium metal batteries.     

Fast‐Charging and Ultrahigh‐Capacity Lithium Metal Anode Enabled by Surface Alloying

Li metal anodes are going through a great revival but they still encounter grand challenges. One often neglected issue is that most reported Li metal anodes are only cyclable under relatively low current density (<5 mA cm^?2) and small areal capacity (<5 mAh cm^?2), which essentially limits their high‐power applications and results in ineffective Li utilization (<1%). Herein, it is reported that surface alloyed Li metal anodes can enable reversible cycling with ultrafast rate and ultralarge areal capacity. Low‐cost Si wafers are used and are chemically etched down to 20–30 µm membranes. Simply laminating a Si membrane onto Li foil results in the formation of Li_xSi alloy film fused onto Li metal with mechanical robustness and high Li‐ion conductivity. Symmetric cell measurements show that the surface alloyed Li anode has excellent cycling stability, even under high current density up to 25 mA cm^?2 and unprecedented areal capacity up to 100 mAh cm^?2. Furthermore, the surface alloyed Li anode is paired with amorphous MoS₃ cathode and achieves remarkable full‐cell performance.     

S‐Doped Graphene‐Regional Nucleation Mechanism for Dendrite‐Free Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium metal is the most promising anode material for next‐generation batteries, owing to its high theoretical specific capacity and low electrochemical potential. However, the practical application of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) has been plagued by the issues of uncontrollable lithium deposition. The multifunctional nanostructured anode can modulate the initial nucleation process of lithium before the extension of dendrites. By combing the theoretical design and experimental validation, a novel nucleation strategy is developed by introducing sulfur (S) to graphene. Through first‐principles simulations, it is found that S atom doping can improve the Li adsorption ability on a large area around the S doping positions. Consequently, S‐doped graphene with five lithiophilic sites rather than a single atomic site can serve as the pristine nucleation area, reducing the uneven Li deposition and improving the electrochemical performance. Modifying Li metal anodes by S‐doped graphene enables an ultralow overpotential of 5.5 mV, a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99% over more than 180 cycles at a current density of 0.5 mA cm^?2 for 1.0 mAh cm^?2, and a high areal capacity of 3 mAh cm^?2. This work sheds new light on the rational design of nucleation area materials for dendrite‐free LMB.     

Tailoring the Mechanical and Electrochemical Properties of an Artificial Interphase for High‐Performance Metallic Lithium Anode

Lithium metal is regarded as the “Holy Grail” of anode materials due to its low electrochemical potential and high theoretical capacity. Unfortunately, its unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) leads to low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and serious safety issues. Herein, a hybrid nanoscale polymeric protective film with tunable composition and improved stiffness is developed by incorporating aluminum crosslinkers into the polymer chains. The Li plating/stripping process is regulated through the protective coating and the dendrite growth is effectively suppressed. Promisingly, the protected Li can deliver stable performance for more than 350 h with a cycling capacity of 2 mAh cm^?2 without a notable increase in overpotential. Moreover, a stable charge/discharge cycling in Li–O₂ batteries with the protected Li can be maintained for more than 600 h. This work provides guidance on the rational design of electrode interfaces and opens up new opportunities for the fabrication of next‐generation energy storage systems.     

SiO2 Hollow Nanosphere‐Based Composite Solid Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries to Suppress Lithium Dendrite Growth and Enhance Cycle Life

The low Coulombic efficiency and serious security issues of lithium (Li) metal anode caused by uncontrollable Li dendrite growth have permanently prevented its practical application. A novel SiO₂ hollow nanosphere‐based composite solid electrolyte (SiSE) for Li metal batteries is reported. This hierarchical electrolyte is fabricated via in situ polymerizing the tripropylene gycol diacrylate (TPGDA) monomer in the presence of liquid electrolyte, which is absorbed in a SiO₂ hollow nanosphere layer. The polymerized TPGDA framework keeps the prepared SiSE in a quasi‐solid state without safety risks caused by electrolyte leakage, meanwhile the SiO₂ layer not only acts as a mechanics‐strong separator but also provides the SiSE with high room‐temperature ionic conductivity (1.74 × 10^?3 S cm^?1) due to the high pore volume (1.49 cm³ g^?1) and large liquid electrolyte uptake of SiO₂ hollow nanospheres. When the SiSE is in situ fabricated on the cathode and applied to LiFePO₄/SiSE/Li batteries, the obtained cells show a significant improvement in cycling stability, mainly attributed to the stable electrode/electrolyte interface and remarkable suppression for Li dendrite growth by the SiSE. This work can extend the application of hollow nanooxide and enable a safe, efficient operation of Li anode in next generation energy storage systems.     

N‐Doped Graphene Modified 3D Porous Cu Current Collector toward Microscale Homogeneous Li Deposition for Li Metal Anodes

Lithium metal is the most promising anode material for high‐energy‐density batteries due to its high specific capacity of 3860 mAh g^?1 and low reduction potential of ?3.04 V versus standard hydrogen electrode. However, huge volume change, safety concerns, and low efficiency impede the practical applications of Li metal anodes. Herein, it is shown that the nitrogen‐doped graphene modified 3D porous Cu (3DCu@NG) current collector can mitigate the above problems. The N‐doped graphene, coating on the surface of 3D current collector, not only contributes to a uniform Li⁺ flux, but also leads to a scattered distribution of electrons throughout the surface, finally contributing to a uniform Li deposition and the improved electrochemical performance. In addition, the continuously porous structure of 3DCu@NG provides a space for the metallic Li deposition and could effectually accommodate the volume expansion during cycling. As a result, the Li‐3DCu@NG anode exhibits a high areal capacity of 4 mAh cm^?2, a high Li utilization of ≈98%, and an ultralow voltage hysteresis of ≈19 mV. The multifunctional N‐doped graphene modified 3D porous current collector promisingly provides a strategy for safe and high‐energy lithium metal anodes.     

Mixed Ion and Electron‐Conducting Scaffolds for High‐Rate Lithium Metal Anodes

Li metal batteries are considered a promising candidate for next‐generation rechargeable batteries. However, the practical application of Li metal batteries has been hindered by many challenges, especially the cycling stability of Li anodes due to their uncontrollable dendrite growth, volume fluctuation, and side reactions. These problems are more severe under high‐rate charge/discharge process. Therefore, the realization of stable cycling of Li anodes under high current density is crucial for the practical application of Li metal batteries. In this Progress Report, the authors focus on the stability of metallic Li through interphase design or microstructure construction. The advantages and drawbacks of the first‐generation 3D scaffolds are summarized, and a review of recent research progress in this area is generated. As high‐rate cycling of metallic Li is a complex dynamic problem, a scaffold with high mixed ionic and electronic conductivity may be a promising approach. The different design strategies of mixed ion and electron‐conductive scaffolds working with liquid and solid electrolytes are discussed, along with their technical challenges. Further directions of mixed ion and electron‐conductive scaffolds are also proposed.     

Interface Engineering for Lithium Metal Anodes in Liquid Electrolyte

Interfacial chemistry between lithium metal anodes and electrolytes plays a vital role in regulating the Li plating/stripping behavior and improving the cycling performance of Li metal batteries. Constructing a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on Li metal anodes is now understood to be a requirement for progress in achieving feasible Li‐metal batteries. Recently, the application of novel analytical tools has led to a clearer understanding of composition and the fine structure of the SEI. This further promoted the development of interface engineering for stable Li metal anodes. In this review, the SEI formation mechanism, conceptual models, and the nature of the SEI are briefly summarized. Recent progress in probing the atomic structure of the SEI and elucidating the fundamental effect of interfacial stability on battery performance are emphasized. Multiple factors including current density, mechanical strength, operating temperature, and structure/composition homogeneity that affect the interfacial properties are comprehensively discussed. Moreover, strategies for designing stable Li‐metal/electrolyte interfaces are also reviewed. Finally, new insights and future directions associated with Li‐metal anode interfaces are proposed to inspire more revolutionary solutions toward commercialization of Li metal batteries.     

High Polarity Poly(vinylidene difluoride) Thin Coating for Dendrite‐Free and High‐Performance Lithium Metal Anodes

The high‐polarity β‐phase poly(vinylidene difluoride) (β‐PVDF), which has all trans conformation with F and H atoms located on the opposite sides of the polymer backbone, is demonstrated to be a promising artificial solid‐electrolyte interphase coating on both Cu and Li metal anodes for dendrite‐free Li deposition/stripping and enhanced cycling performance. A thin (≈4 µm) β‐PVDF coating on Cu enables uniform Li deposition/stripping at high current densities up to 5 mA cm^?2, Li‐plating capacity loadings of up to 4 mAh cm^?2, and excellent cycling stability over hundreds of cycles under practical conditions (1 mA cm^?2 with 2 mAh cm^?2). Full cells containing an LiFePO₄ cathode and an anode of either β‐PVDF coated Cu or Li also exhibit excellent cycling stability. The profound effects of the high‐polarity PVDF coating on dendrite suppression are attributed to the electronegative F‐rich interface that favors layer‐by‐layer Li deposition. This study offers a new strategy for the development of dendrite‐free metal anode technology.     

Suppressing Lithium Dendrite Growth via Sinusoidal Ripple Current Produced by Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Lithium metal as an ultimate anode material of future rechargeable batteries may furnish the highest energy density for its pairing cathode, although preventing the growth of lithium dendrites in liquid electrolytes is a major challenge. This work reports that stable lithium metal anodes can be achieved by charging with high‐frequency sinusoidal ripple current generated by rotating triboelectric nanogenerators (R‐TENGs). Compared with constant DC current charging, sinusoidal ripple current charging by R‐TENG improves the uniformity of lithium deposition during cycling test. Consequently, symmetric Li/Li cells exhibit lower overpotential and better cycling stability. In addition, full cells assembled with lithium metal anodes and LiFePO₄ cathodes show considerably improved capacity retention when charged by R‐TENG's sinusoidal ripple current (99.5%) compared to constant current (78.7%) after 200 cycles. The charging strategy device in this work provides a promising direction toward improving the cycle life of Li metal batteries. In addition, the combination of R‐TENGs with Li metal batteries offers an encouraging solution for achieving stable energy supply in self‐powered systems.     

Recent Developments of the Lithium Metal Anode for Rechargeable Non‐Aqueous Batteries

Over the last 40 years, metallic lithium as an anode material has been of great interest owing to its high energy density. However, dendritic lithium growth causes serious safety issues. Awareness and understanding of the Li deposition and stripping processes have grown rapidly especially in recent years, and consequently, there have been many attempts to suppress the Li dendrites. Recent developments that have modified the electrolytes and the Li anode in order to inhibit the growth of Li dendrite and improve cycling performance are summarized. It has been shown that current density, solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) film, Li⁺ transference number, and shear modulus have significant impact on the growth behavior and the Coulombic efficiency. Various methods have been introduced to increase the surface area of the Li anode, enhance Li⁺ conductivity, form stable SEI film, and improve mechanical strength of electrolytes. These approaches are discussed in details, and the perspectives regarding the future use of Li anode are also outlined. It is hoped that this review will facilitate the future development of Li metal batteries.     

Temperature-Mediated Dynamic Lithium Loss and its Implications for High-Efficiency Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal has been strongly regarded as the ultimate anode option for next-generation high-energy-density batteries. Nevertheless, the insufficient Coulombic efficiency induced by the extensive active Li loss largely hinders the practical operation of Li metal batteries under wide temperature range. Herein, the temperature-mediated dynamic growth of inactive Li from −20 to 60°C via titration gas chromatograph measurements is quantitatively decoupled. Combined X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy, cryo-transmission electronic microscopy, and scanning electronic microscopy methods depicted that both solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) characteristics and Li deposition compactness can be profoundly manipulated by working temperature. The elevation of temperature is found to fundamentally aggravate the parasitic reactions and deteriorate the spatial uniformity of SEI, yet promote the lateral growth of Li by kinetic reason. The opposite effects of temperature on SEI properties and Li deposition compactness can properly explain the intricate temperature-dependent growth rates of SEI-Li⁺ and dead Li⁰ capacity loss observed under titration gas chromatograph measurements. Design implications towards more stable Li metal anodes with higher reversibility can thus be yielded.