Dendrite-Free Lithium Deposition via Self-Healing Electrostatic Shield Mechanism

Abstract

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries are considered the "Holy Grail" of energy storage systems. Unfortunately, uncontrollable dendritic lithium growth inherent in these batteries (upon repeated charge/discharge cycling) has prevented their practical application over the past 40 years. We show a novel mechanism that can fundamentally alter dendrite formation. At low concentrations, selected cations (such as cesium or rubidium ions) exhibit an effective reduction potential below the standard reduction potential of lithium ions. During lithium deposition, these additive cations form a positively charged electrostatic shield around the initial growth tip of the protuberances without reduction and deposition of the additives. This forces further deposition of lithium to adjacent regions of the anode and eliminates dendrite formation in lithium metal batteries. This strategy may also prevent dendrite growth in lithium-ion batteries as well as other metal batteries and transform the surface uniformity of coatings deposited in many general electrodeposition processes.

Understanding the degradation mechanism of rechargeable lithium/sulfur cells: a comprehensive study of the sulfur–graphene oxide cathode after discharge–charge cycling

“…Secondly, as the structure of the cathode material is critical to the cycle performance of rechargeable lithium batteries, 9,22,[52][53][54][55][56] the cycle performance of the Li/S-GO cell is significantly influenced by the accumulation of these lithium compounds on the cathode surface: (i) after cycling, the less porous structure of the cathode cannot accommodate the large volume change of S anymore, leading to the possible mechanical degradation of the cathode and the particles of disintegrated sulfur may be more vulnerable to dissolution in the electrolyte; (ii) these lithium compounds are electrical insulators. Thus, the deposition of such reaction products on the cathode surface can reduce the in-depth discharge of sulfur, leading to low utilization of sulfur especially at higher rates.…”

Rechargeable lithium batteries and beyond: Progress, challenges, and future directions

“…25 However, these mechanisms are only effective under very limited conditions (i.e., at high temperatures or under low current densities). Therefore, more work is needed to explore a more reliable solution to prevent dendrite growth in order to push the use of lithium anodes for broader applications.…”

Advanced Micro/Nanostructures for Lithium Metal Anodes

“…However, recently, the high energy density lithium metal batteries have been regarded as among the most promising next‐generation batteries. Compared with the researches in 20 th century, the booming development of nanoscience, nanomaterials, and nanoscale characterization renders emerging chance for electrode materials with high efficiency and long cycle life 25, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. Lithium ion diffusion/deposition heavily depends on the size of electrode materials 37.…”