Metal Anode Stability in Energy Storage Systems
Summary
Metallic anodes, notably lithium, sodium, magnesium and zinc, offer unparalleled theoretical capacities and low electrochemical potentials that promise transformative advances in battery energy density. Yet their practical deployment is hindered by morphological instabilities at the metal–electrolyte interface, foremost among them dendritic growth, uneven electrodeposition and unstable passivation layers. Such phenomena compromise cycle life, lower Coulombic efficiency and pose safety risks through internal short-circuiting or thermal runaway. Stability hinges on a delicate interplay between ion transport kinetics, surface thermodynamics and interfacial reactions that govern nucleation, growth and dissolution of metal deposits. Strategies to stabilise metal anodes span electrolyte formulation to tailor ion solvation and interphase chemistry, artificial or adaptive solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) coatings to regulate ionic flux, and substrate or current‐collector engineering to encourage uniform deposition. Computational tools—from density functional theory through molecular dynamics and kinetic Monte Carlo—have elucidated atomic-scale migration barriers and self-healing processes, guiding the rational design of alloys, surface modifiers and three-dimensional scaffolds. The convergence of theory, advanced microscopy and operando characterisation is rapidly translating mechanistic insight into scalable architectures, with implications for long-lasting lithium-metal batteries, next-generation sodium and potassium chemistries, and safe aqueous or multivalent systems for grid-scale storage.
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Metal Anode Stability in Energy Storage Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in metal anode stability in energy storage systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Dendrite: A filamentous metallic deposit that protrudes from the anode surface during charge, risking short circuits.
Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI): A passivation layer formed by electrolyte decomposition at the anode, essential for stabilising ion transport.
Coulombic efficiency: The ratio of discharge to charge capacity, indicating how effectively electrons are cycled without loss.
Electrodeposition: The process of metal ion reduction and subsequent atom attachment that builds the metal anode.
Surface diffusion barrier: The energy threshold that adatoms must overcome to migrate across the electrode surface, influencing deposit uniformity.
References
- Self‐Healing Mechanism of Lithium in Lithium Metal. Advanced Science (2022).
- Growth Mechanism of Micro/Nano Metal Dendrites and Cumulative Strategies for Countering Its Impacts in Metal Ion Batteries: A Review †. Nanomaterials (2021).
- Morphology evolution of electrodeposited lithium on metal substrates. Energy Storage Materials (2023).
- Application of Theoretical Computational Simulations in Lithium Metal Batteries. Applied and Computational Engineering (2023).
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