Surface modification via a nanosized nitride material to stabilize lithium metal anode

Abstract Lithium (Li) metal is considered to be one of the most promising anode materials for rechargeable batteries in the future. Unfortunately, the unavoidable Li dendrites are the biggest obstacle to realize the commercial application of Li metal. Herein, we employ a lithium-aluminum (Li-Al) alloy and lithium nitride (Li3N) composite coating layer to achieve the dendrite-free for the Li metal anode. This alloy/Li3N layer is acquired by the reaction of a nanosized nitride material (aluminum nitride; AlN) and Li metal in a tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution. This stable composite layer provides a fast ion migration channel and an electronic insulation passivating layer for the surface of Li metal. As a result, the modified Li anode maintains uniform and stable electrodeposition without the formation of dendrites for 200 h at 5 mA cm−2. More importantly, when, the dendrite-free Li anodes are fabricated by spraying the AlN solution onto the large Li foil and the NCM-alloy/Li3N-Li pouch cells show significantly improved cycle performance against the NCM-Li cells. This strategy may offer a great possibility for the commercial application of Li metal anode.