Dendrite‐Suppressed Lithium Plating from a Liquid Electrolyte via Wetting of Li 3 N

Abstract Lithium metal is an ultimate anode material to provide the highest energy density for a given cathode by providing a higher capacity and cell voltage. However, lithium is not used as the anode in commercial lithium‐ion batteries because electrochemical dendrite formation and growth during charge can induce a cell short circuit that ignites the flammable liquid electrolyte. Plating of lithium through a bed of Li 3 N particles is shown to transform dendrite growth into a 3D lithium network formed by wetting the particle surfaces; plating through a Li 3 N particle is without dendrite nucleation. The Li 3 N particles create a higher overpotential during Li deposition than that with dendrite growth in galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The characteristic overpotential increase is correlated with the morphological changes and a more isotropic growth behavior. The Li 3 N‐modified Li electrode shows a stable cycling performance at 0.5 and 1.0 mA cm −2 for more than 100 cycles. The origin of the bonding responsible for wetting of the Li 3 N particles by lithium and for plating through a Li 3 N particle is discussed.