Joule
PerspectiveAdvancing Lithium Metal Batteries
Context & Scale
Lithium (Li)-ion batteries have been widely used as power sources for portable electronic devices and are emerging into transportation and grid applications, but the energy density of the state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries will reach its theoretical limit soon, and new battery designs are urgently needed to satisfy the increasing demand for high-energy-density batteries. In this regard, Li metal anode material has attracted worldwide attention because of its many merits. Although practical applications of Li metal anodes are still limited by several challenges, such as dendrite growth and low coulombic efficiency, rapid development of new materials and electrode designs in recent years has overcome many bottlenecks in this field and hastened the practical applications of high-energy-density and high-performance rechargeable Li metal batteries. In this Perspective, recent significant progress on stabilization of Li metal anodes for Li metal batteries is highlighted. We also present a perspective on future directions and possibilities to better address the existing challenges of Li metal anodes and Li metal batteries.
