Advanced Textile-Based Lithium-Metal Batteries: Interfacial Engineering, Structural Design, and Wearable Applications

Textile-based lithium-metal batteries (TLMBs), pivotal for next-generation wearable energy storage, offer unparalleled advantages including ultrahigh theoretical capacity (3860 mAh g⁻¹), low electrochemical potential (-3.04 V vs standard hydrogen electrode), and seamless integration with flexible electronics. However, critical challenges such as dendritic lithium growth, unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) evolution, and mechanical degradation under dynamic deformation hinder their practical deployment. This review presents a transformative paradigm centered on hierarchical structural engineering-encompassing atomic-to-macroscale interfacial design and textile-architecture optimization-to address these barriers. The roles of gradient-pore distributions, Janus-structured fibers, and kirigami-inspired geometries are systematically dissected in homogenizing Li-ion flux, stabilizing SEI layers, and decoupling mechanical stress from electrochemical pathways, enabling TLMBs to sustain >500% strain without capacity loss. Furthermore, system-level integration strategies for self-powered health-monitoring textiles and thermally adaptive batteries are scrutinized, bridging fundamental insights with scalable manufacturing. By identifying underexplored frontiers such as dynamic SEI regulators and circular economy-aligned designs, this work provides a strategic roadmap to advance TLMBs toward high-energy, mechanically robust wearable systems. The analysis aims to inspire interdisciplinary innovation, accelerating the transition from lab-scale breakthroughs to real-world applications in flexible energy storage.