Causal Relationships for the Electrolyte and Interphase Designs During Lithium Metal Plating/Stripping Processes

High-energy lithium (Li) metal battery (LMB) is widely recognized as the game-changer for the currently commercialized lithium-ion batteries, because of their high energy density when paired with many cathodes such as layered oxide cathode (500 Wh kg^-1), sulfur cathode (600 Wh kg^-1), and oxygen cathode (700 Wh kg^-1). In addition to the energy-related application, the electrochemical Li metal plating/stripping process is also the core for Li-mediated ammonia synthesis, Li plasmon-based low-powered dynamic color display, and so on. However, the insufficient understanding of the electrochemical process of the Li metal plating/stripping process is still restraining the development of these research directions. Herein, key advances for the key properties of solid electrolyte interphase, electrolyte engineering, and the artificial solid electrode interphase of lithium metal anode are reviewed. Based on these contents, several key points for the practical application of LMBs, including electrolyte design, energy density, and safety, are outlooked.