Regulating Homogeneous Reactions for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries

Abstract

Discontinuous and uneven Li⁺ flux leads to inhomogeneous reactions, accelerating lithium (Li) dendrite growth and reducing the utilization of active materials, which severely impacts the performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). To address this challenge, we propose an effective homogeneous reaction design facilitated by an all-aligned nanofibrous architecture, which establishes continuous, uniform, and rapid Li⁺ pathways throughout the battery. This design enhances Li⁺ diffusion dynamics and ensures a uniform distribution of current density, hence promoting homogeneous Li nucleation at the anode and efficient Li⁺ insertion/extraction at the cathode. Moreover, the architecture exhibits superior mechanical strength and flexibility, maintaining structural stability during long-term cycling and suppressing dendrite growth, thereby minimizing the risk of short circuits. As a result, LMBs incorporating this homogeneous reaction design exhibit exceptional electrochemical performance. This work provides valuable insights into the design of homogeneous reactions for high-performance LMBs.