Lithium metal batteries (LMBs), with its unparalleled theoretical energy density (up to 950 Wh kg⁻¹), have long been hailed as the future of energy storage. However, persistent challenges—such as dendrite formation, unstable interfaces, and safety concerns—have hindered their commercialization. Researchers from Zhengzhou University present a roadmap to overcome these obstacles, offering transformative solutions for the next generation of LMBs.
The team published their work in Materials and Solidification on April 15, 2025.
Key Innovations and Strategies:
The study identifies six core strategies to stabilize lithium metal anodes (LMAs):
Electrolyte Formulation: Tailoring solvent and salt compositions to form stable, inorganic-rich SEI layers. For instance, fluorinated solvents and high-concentration LiFSI electrolytes enable 99.8% Coulombic efficiency and extended cycling under high-voltage conditions.
Artificial SEI: Engineered coatings like polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and dual-layer Prussian blue/rGO structures suppress dendrite growth and reduce electrolyte consumption, achieving 98.3% efficiency over 630 cycles.
Separator Regulation: Functional separators with graphene coatings or zwitterionic polymers homogenize Li⁺ flux and dissipate thermal hotspots, enabling stable operation at 3 mA cm⁻² for 4,500 hours.
Solid-State Electrolytes (SSEs): Quasi-solid and solid-state electrolytes eliminate flammability risks while maintaining ionic conductivity. Polymer-polymer composites and elastomeric SSEs demonstrate resilience under bending and thermal stress.
3D Host Frameworks: Porous scaffolds (e.g., MXene/rGO or lithiophilic carbon) buffer volume expansion and reduce local current density, achieving minimal capacity decay (0.1% per cycle) in high-rate applications.
Anode-Free Designs: By eliminating excess lithium, anode-free configurations paired with pulse-current protocols or lithophilic Ag-PCP coatings achieve 76% capacity retention after 100 cycles in pouch cells.
Impact and Future Directions:
The review underscores the importance of multi-dimensional protection systems, combining chemical, structural, and external field interventions to synchronize Li⁺ deposition. Advanced characterization techniques—such as synchrotron X-ray tomography and AI-driven molecular design—are poised to accelerate material discovery and optimize battery performance. With global demand for high-energy storage surging, this work provides a critical foundation for scalable, safe LMBs. By bridging laboratory innovations with industrial scalability, the strategies outlined here could revolutionize electric vehicles, renewable energy grids, and portable electronics, marking a pivotal step toward a sustainable energy future.
About Author:
Prof. Xinliang Li: doctoral degree from City University of Hong Kong in 2021. Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Physics, Zhengzhou University since 2023. Research areas focus on aqueous batteries, halogen-based batteries, organic batteries, wearable energy storage systems, 2D MXene materials, and electromagnetic wave absorption/shielding devices. With over 30 first-authored publications in leading journals such as Nat. Rev. Chem. (4), Joule (2), Matter (2), Sci. Adv., Adv. Mater., and Energy Environ. Sci., has accumulated >14,000 citations, as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher and inclusion in Stanford's Top 2% Global Scientists. He serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Materials and a Young Editorial Board Member for journals including Nano Res. Energy, eScience, and InfoMat. Additionally, he acts as a reviewer for over 20 international journals (e.g., Adv. Funct. Mater., ACS Nano) and an external grant evaluator for UAEU.
About Materials and Solidification
Materials and Solidification is a single-blind peer-reviewed, fully open access international journal published by Tsinghua University Press, with academic support provided by the State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University. The Journal aims to publish cutting-edge research results in solidification theory and solidification technologies for metal, semiconductor, organic, inorganic, and polymer materials in bulk or as thin films. It includes, but is not limited to, casting, welding, and additive manufacturing related to solidification processing, and is also involved in nonequilibrium solidification phenomena in multiphysical fields, such as electricity, ultrasonication, magnetism, and microgravity.
