3D printing for rechargeable lithium metal batteries

Enabling the rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) is essential for exceeding the energy density of today's Lithium-ion batteries. However, practical challenges in almost all components of LMBs, of which the most serious issues are formation of Li dendrites and uncontrollable volume expansion of lithium metal anodes, hinder their practical applications. Traditional LMBs’ fabrication techniques have some limitations in controlling the geometry and structure of components, which compromises their performance. 3D printing is an ideal manufacturing technique that can increase the specific energy and power density of devices by precisely controlling their geometry and structure from nanoscale to macroscale without relying on any templates. In this work, we review recent advances of 3D printing in rechargeable LMBs in combination with their fundamental principles and representative printing techniques. Then we discuss the applications at component levels. Finally, we summarize the design rationales and practical challenges of 3D printed rechargeable LMBs and give our insights about future outlook of this emerging field.