Reversible epitaxial electrodeposition of metals in battery anodes

Controlling electrode growth Batteries with metal anodes can grow dendrites during cycling, which can cause short circuits in a battery or subsequently reduce the charge capacity. Zheng et al. developed a process to electrodeposit zinc on a graphene-coated stainless-steel electrode, such that the zinc forms plates with preferential orientation parallel to the electrode. This is achieved by depositing a graphene layer on stainless steel designed to epitaxially match the basal (002) plane of metallic zinc, minimizing lattice strain. During cycling, the zinc will redeposit in plate form rather than as a dendrite such that the batteries show excellent reversibility over thousands of cycles. Science , this issue p. 645