Bioinspired designs in active metal-based batteries

Active metal-based batteries are drawing increased attention because of their inherent high energy density and specific capacity. Some grand challenges, such as dendrite growth, electrode degradation, rapid performance fading, etc., have limited their practical application. Bioinspiration, which involves taking cues from the structures and functions of the natural world, can lead to a wealth of conceptually fresh approaches to regulator the metal ion transportation to achieve a dendrite-free metal plating, thwart the side-reaction reactions, and retard the structural distortions, for a more reliable and secure operation of active metal-based batteries. In this review, we concentrate on the fabrication and application of bioinspired designs in active metal-based batteries with enhanced performance, along with discussion on the challenges and opportunities associated with this promising topic. We anticipate that this review can offer some insights into the development of functional materials by learning from nature and provide some approaches for the innovations of either the battery structures or the energy materials for metal-based batteries.