Stress Relief in Metal Anodes: Mechanisms and Applications

Abstract

Metal anodes (lithium/sodium/zinc) are recognized as the most promising choice for rechargeable batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and low electrochemical redox potential. Unfortunately, metal anodes face serious metal dendrite problems, hindering their practical applications. Recent research has shown that metal dendrites can also be caused by high levels of stress generated during the metal deposition process. To address this issue, an alternative strategy based on stress relief is proposed to inhibit the growth of metal dendrites. Herein, this work aims to investigate the mechanism of stress generation and evolution within metal anodes. In addition, this work explores the utilization of stress to induce metal nucleation. This work further discuss the various experimental techniques used to study stress release in metal dendrites and review recent research findings on stress relief in metal dendrites within metal anodes. Specifically, this work examines how microstructure and processing conditions affect stress release and discuss potential strategies for improving the efficiency of stress relief strategies in metal dendrites. As a result, a deeper understanding of stress release in metal dendrites can lead to the development of rechargeable batteries with superior performance, longer cycle life, as well as enhanced safety for practical applications in various fields.

Stable and Fast Ion Transport Electrolyte Interfaces Modified with Novel Fluorine- and Nitrogen-Containing Solvents for Ni-Rich Cathode Materials

“…A strong LiF peak can be observed from the spectra of Li 1s and F 1s. It has been widely reported in the literature that chemically stabilized LiF is a relatively strong electronic insulator that prevents electrons from tunneling from the Li anode to the SEI and ensures that Li deposition occurs at the SEI/Li interface. , Moreover, LiF has high Li + diffusivity and promotes uniform Li + deposition . Therefore, the SEI interface film is formed by the decomposition of MNTB/FEC enriched with inorganic components such as Li 3 N, LiF, and Li 2 O.…”

Achieving Stable Lithium Anodes through Leveraging Inevitable Stress Variations via Adaptive Piezoelectric Effect

“…Understanding the mechanical evolution mechanism and quantifying the stress variation at lithium‐metal electrodes help master the safe operating conditions of lithium‐metal batteries. A series of advanced characterization techniques, including wafer curvature, force sensors, X‐ray diffraction, focused ion beam (FIB) based techniques, and optical fiber Bragg grating sensors, [ 17–20 ] have been devised to detect the behaviors of stress. The stress level, [ 19 ] residual stress and gradients, [ 21 ] and even the chemomechanical stress occurring at both the positive/negative electrodes and electrode/electrolyte interface during battery operation were successfully investigated.…”

Organic solid–electrolyte interface layers for Zn metal anodes

“…19 In addition, Zn metal offers a high theoretical capacity (5855 mA h cm −3 , 820 mA h g −1 ), and their manufacture relies on well-established rolling processes for Zn metal foil. 20,21…”