Light-Assisted Lithium Metal Anode Enabled by In Situ Photoelectrochemical Engineering

Rechargeable battery devices with high energy density are highly demanded by the modern society. The use of lithium (Li) anodes is extremely attractive for future rechargeable battery devices. However, the notorious Li dendritic and instability of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) issues pose series of challenge for metal anodes. Here, based on the inspiration of in situ photoelectrochemical engineering, it is showed that a tailor-made composite photoanodes with good photoelectrochemical properties (Li affinity property and photocatalytic property) can significantly improve the electrochemical deposition behavior of Li anodes. The light-assisted Li anode is accommodated in the tailor-made current collector without uncontrollable Li dendrites. The as-prepared light-assisted Li metal anode can achieve the in situ stabilization of SEI layer under illumination. The corresponding in situ formation mechanism and photocatalytic mechanism of composite photoanodes are systematically investigated via DFT theoretical calculation, ex situ UV-vis and ex situ XPS characterization. It is worth mentioning that the as-prepared composite photoanodes can adapt to the ultra-high current density of 15 mA cm^-2 and the cycle capacity of 15 mAh cm^-2 under light, showing no dendritic morphology and low hysteresis voltage. This work is of great significance for the commercialization of new generation Li metal batteries.