Dendrite-free lithium deposition by coating a lithiophilic heterogeneous metal layer on lithium metal anode

Rechargeable lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) are actively developed as a next generation electric storage technology due to its superior high energy densities. However, uncontrollable Li dendrite growth during cycles results in poor cyclability and potential unsafety, thus hindering their practical battery applications. Here, we demonstrated a facile strategy to coat lithiophilic heterogeneous metal Ag (Au) layers on lithium anode to inhibit lithium dendrite growth. The lithiophilic protective layer provides abundant and uniformly distributed active sites for lithium nucleation, thereby a unique spherical and columnar Li growth behavior was first observed rather than conventional dendrites. As a result, the protected Li|Li symmetric cells can stably cycle for more than 900 h without internal short circuiting and exhibit small voltage polarization. Ag(Au)-Li|LiFePO4 full cells paired also demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 158 mAh g−1 over more than 200 cycles, and a strong rate capability over 5 C, showcasing a promising potential for Li metal battery application.