The contrast between monovalent and multivalent metal battery anodes.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Graphite anodes limit lithium-ion battery performance.
• Monovalent (Li, Na, K) and multivalent (Mg, Ca, Al) metal anodes show promise.
• Understanding their electrochemical behavior is crucial for advancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare and contrast electrochemical behaviors of monovalent and multivalent metal anodes.
• Discuss common challenges like irregular deposition and unstable solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs).
• Propose design strategies for improved metal anode batteries.

Main Methods:

• Review of electrochemical behaviors in nonaqueous electrolytes.
• Analysis of challenges related to surface energies and cation charge densities.
• Assessment of electrode, electrolyte, and interphase design strategies.

Main Results:

• Identified common challenges: irregular metal deposition and unstable SEIs.
• Highlighted differences due to surface energies and cation charge densities.
• Proposed strategies for horizontally deposited metals with preferred crystallographic orientations and stable SEIs.

Conclusions:

• Metal anodes offer advantages for high-energy, low-cost batteries.
• Achieving stable SEIs with structural homogeneity is key.
• Cross-disciplinary insights are needed to advance next-generation metal-anode batteries.