Controlled Growth of Li Dendrite Induced by Periodic Ni Mesh for Ultrastable Lithium Metal Battery

Abstract The disordered dendritic growth of Li metal seriously hampers the practical application of lithium metal batteries. Great efforts are devoted to suppress the growth of dendrites, it is still necessary to explore measures of controlling dendritic growth and pave ways for normal cell operation in presence of dendrites. Herein, a modification technique of Li metal anode by a periodic Ni mesh with micrometer‐sized grid is proposed for interfacial engineering. Periodic patterned Ni mesh is prepared using a novel laser direct‐writing technique combined with selective electrodeposition process. The growth of Li dendrites is regulated under the effect of unique electric field distribution by the introduction of the Ni mesh. It is noteworthy that the controlled lateral growth of dendrites is successfully realized by the internal structure modification instead of any external electric or magnetic field as has been previously reported. The resultant anode exhibits a stable cycling performance with ultralow overpotential of 6–8 mV for over 1000 h at the current density of 0.5 mA cm⁻². It also presents superior electrochemical performance when assembled against LiFePO₄ cathode into full cells, with an initial capacity of 133 mA h g⁻¹ and a stable cycling performance over 160 cycles.