Designing interface coatings on anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

In recent years, a great deal of investigation has been performed for lithium-ion batteries ascribing to their high operating voltage, high energy density, and long cycle life. However, the traditional anode materials suffer from slow kinetics, serious volume expansion, and interface instability during charging and discharging, which encounter tremendous challenges in the development of lithium-ion batteries. It is worth mentioning that the coating strategy can effectively overcome aforementioned issues. It provides the satisfactory electrochemical performance. While giving the anode material excellent ionic/electronic conductivity, elastic performance, and inert interface layer, making it stable and continuous in the lithium-ion battery system. So far, the research of coated anode materials is still in the development stage, and the problems of lithium-ion batteries still need to be solved. In this review, the latest progress of coating materials is reviewed. From the perspective of preparation, the latest methods of coating anode materials reported so far are systematically discussed. A series of critical challenges, constructive solutions, and future trends of coated anode materials are specifically proposed.