Fang Liu¹ Qiangfeng Xiao² Mei Cai² Yunfeng Lu¹

1, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
2, General Motors, Warren, Michigan, United States

With the lowest chemical potential and highest energy density among anode materials, lithium metal becomes the most promising candidate for next-generation rechargeable batteries with high energy density. However, its non–uniform electrodeposition behaviors and spontaneous side–reactions with electrolyte components have caused numerous safety concerns and constrained its applications. Through vapor deposition, a hermetic coating layer of silicate can be readily formed on lithium foil under ambient conditions. Such coatings consist of a “hard” inorganic moiety that helps to suppress lithium dendrites and a “soft” organic moiety that enhances the toughness. Lithium–metal batteries, including Li–LiFePO₄ and Li–S batteries, made with such coated anodes show significantly improved lifetime. This work provides a simple yet effective approach stabilizing the interface of lithium metal anodes for advanced rechargeable batteries.