Recent advances in lithiophilic materials: material design and prospects for lithium metal anode application

The rapid development of electronic technology and energy industry promotes the increasing desire for energy storage systems with high energy density, thus calling for the exploration of lithium metal anode. However, the enormous challenges, such as uncontrollable lithium deposition, side reaction, infinite volume change and dendrite generation, hinders its application. To address these problems, the deposition behavior of lithium must be exactly controlled and the anode/electrolyte interface must be stabilized. The deposition of lithium is a multi-step process influenced by multi-physical fields, where nucleation is the key to final morphology. Hence, increasing investigations have focused on the employment of lithiophilic materials that can regulate lithium nucleation in recent years. The lithiophilic materials introduced into the deposition hosts or solid electrolyte interphases can regulate the nucleation overpotential and facilitate uniform deposition. However, the concept of lithiophilicity is still undefined and the mechanism is still unrevealed. In this review, the recent advances in the regulation mechanisms of lithiophilicity are discussed, and the applications of lithiophilic materials in hosts and protective interphases are summarized. The in-depth exploration of lithiophilic materials can enhance our understanding of the deposition behavior of lithium and pave the way for practical lithium metal batteries.