Recent Advances in Lithium Metal Protective Strategies with Stable Interface

Abstract

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have regained attention for the next-generation storage system due to exceptional energy densities. However, Li metal anodes suffer from serious dendrite, unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and enormous volume fluctuation, resulting in low cycle stability and compromised safety. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in lithium metal protective strategies toward high-performance LMBs. First, 3D lithium metal host designs with homogeneous and gradient structure aimed at optimizing structure and nucleation kinetics to guide Li plating behavior and achieve uniform lithium deposition. Second, interfacial engineering includes the construction of artificial solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and improvement of innate SEI through interfacial modulation to protect lithium electrodes. Third, electrolyte additives and solid-state electrolyte are developed to form stable SEI and suppress the dendrite formation. Finally, this review outlines the current challenges and further rational design of LMB protection to promote new development for high-energy-density LMBs.