Mechanism understanding for stripping electrochemistry of Li metal anode

Abstract

The pursuit of sustainable energy has a great request for advanced energy storage devices. Lithium metal batteries are regarded as a potential electrochemical storage system because of the extremely high capacity and the most negative electrochemical potential of lithium metal anode. Dead lithium formed in the stripping process significantly contributes to the low efficiency and short lifespan of rechargeable lithium metal batteries. This review displays a critical review on the current research status about the stripping electrochemistry of lithium metal anode. The significance of stripping process to a robust lithium metal anode is emphasized. The stripping models in different electrochemical scenarios are discussed. Specific attention is paid to the understanding for the electrochemical principles of atom diffusion, electrochemical reaction, ion diffusion in solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and electron transfer with the purpose to strengthen the insights into the behavior of lithium electrode stripping. The factors affecting stripping processes and corresponding solutions are summarized and categorized as follows: surface physics, SEI, operational and external factors. This review affords fresh insights to explore the lithium anode and design robust lithium metal batteries based on the comprehensive understanding of the stripping electrochemistry.

A sodiophilic VN interlayer stabilizing a Na metal anode

“…[1][2][3][4] It is reported that employing active metals (such as Li, Na, Zn and K) as anodes directly is a hopeful method to significantly enhance the energy density of batteries. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Among them, the sodium metal anode (SMA) has attracted great interest benefiting from its high theoretical capacity (1166 mA h g À1 ), low redox potential (À2.71 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode) and cost-effectiveness. [15][16][17][18][19][20] However, the practical application of SMAs is crucially hampered by dendrite growth and ''dead'' Na generation, which are principally derived from the uncontrolled Na deposition, leading to poor Coulombic efficiency, short cycle lifespan and even safety issues.…”

Revealing the Electrochemistry in a Voltaic Cell by In Situ Electron Microscopy

“…As the discharge process went on, the Zn anode continued to dissolve and the light gray shell crumpled (inset of Figure 2b III), similar to the crumpled SEI on the surface of a lithium dendrite after stripping of lithium. [16][17][18][19][20] Electron diffraction pattern (EDP) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping characterization of the Zn anode after discharge were performed to investigate the phase structure and chemical elements distribution. The EDP from the initial Zn anode shows sharp diffraction spots indexed as the single crystal Zn (Figure 2d, I).…”

LiBr–LiF‐Rich Solid–Electrolyte Interface Layer on Lithiophilic 3D Framework for Enhanced Lithium Metal Anode

“…[ 16 ] It is a consensus that the construction of the SEI with uniform structure and composition is favorable for the homogeneous stripping/plating of Li metal anode. [ 17 ] Therefore, prefabricating an artificial solid–electrolyte interface (SEI) (e.g., in situ LiF, [ 18 ] lithium‐antimony [Li 3 Sb] alloy/lithium fluoride [LiF], [ 19 ] CNF‐g‐PSSLi, [ 20 ] Li 2 S, [ 21 ] , etc.) on the surface of lithium metal anodes is considered to be a valuable approach.…”