Lithium metal is considered a next-generation anode material for high-voltage, high-energy-density batteries; however, its commercialization is limited because of dendrite formation during charging, which leads to short-circuiting and fire. Li metal is coated with a lithium zeolite Li2(Al2Si4O12) (bikitaite - BKT) for dendrite suppression. The BKT-coated Li metal anode exhibits enhanced cycle performance for both Li/LMO (over 982 cycles) and Li/Li cells (over 2000 h at 0.52.0 mAh cm-2 and 693 h at 2.0 mAh cm-2). Moreover, the voltage profile of the Li/Li cells deviates from the conventional Li plating behavior. We hypothesize that this is due to the Li wetting of the BKT particles during plating, which leads to the formation of an interconnected three-dimensional (3D) Li network. Furthermore, BKT, a Li conductor, promotes even Li+-ion distribution during plating, resulting in the uniform deposition of Li and, consequently, suppressed dendrite formation. This work provides evidence that BKT can be potentially used in Li metal batteries.
Keywords: Li metal anodes; Li metal secondary batteries; Li protecting layer; Li wetting; bikitaite; dendrite suppression; even distribution.