Interface modification is the deliberate insertion or formation of a layer between two phases in contact, with the aim of changing what happens there rather than what happens in either bulk. In a lithium metal cell the boundary between the metal and the electrolyte is where deposition morphology and side reactions are decided, and coatings, electrolyte additives and interlayers have all been directed at it [1]. A three-dimensional metallic interlayer gives the lithium a scaffold to deposit into, lowering the local current density and postponing the onset of dendrites [2]. A composite layer of lithium silicate and lithium phosphate combines ionic conduction with mechanical rigidity, and serves as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase [3]. With a ceramic electrolyte the problem is different, since contact between two solids is poor to begin with; a graphite interlayer between lithium and a garnet electrolyte improves the wetting and the interfacial stability [4]. Screening candidate interlayers computationally has become a way to search this space [5].
- solid electrolyte interphase
- artificial interlayer
- lithium metal anode
- dendrite suppression
- interfacial wetting
- current density
- surface coating
References
- Petla, R.K.; Lindsey, I.; Li, J.; Meng, X.; Interface Modifications of Lithium Metal Anode for Lithium Metal Batteries. ChemSusChem 2024, 17, e202400281, 10.1002/cssc.202400281.
- Lee, H.; Song, J.; Kim, Y.J.; Park, J.K.; Kim, H.T.; Structural modulation of lithium metal-electrolyte interface with three-dimensional metallic interlayer for high-performance lithium metal batteries. Scientific Reports 2016, 6, 30830, 10.1038/srep30830.
- Kwon, N.A.; Lee, J.w.; Surface modification of lithium metal anode with lithium silicate-lithium phosphate composite layer for enhanced cycling stability. Materials Chemistry and Physics 2023, 307, 128177, 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2023.128177.
- Zhang, Y.; Gao, X.; Mei, Y.; Tang, Z.; Luo, D.; Deng, J.; Study of graphite interlayer modification on the interfacial stability of solid electrolyte Li7La3Zr2O12 with lithium metal anode. Journal of Alloys and Compounds 2023, 933, 167736, 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.167736.
- Lai, G.; Zhang, R.; Fang, C.; Zhao, J.; Chen, T.; Zuo, Y.; Xu, B.; Zheng, J.; Machine-learning-accelerated mechanistic exploration of interface modification in lithium metal anode. npj Computational Materials 2025, 11, 245, 10.1038/s41524-025-01747-7.