New coating revitalises lithium metal batteries

Key to the breakthrough from researchers at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is the prevention of dendrites building up in the battery. Their results are published in Joule.

In laboratory tests, the coating is said to have significantly extended the battery's life. It also dealt with the combustion issue by greatly limiting the dendrites that pierce the separator between the battery's positive and negative sides. In addition to ruining the battery, dendrites can create a short circuit within the battery's flammable liquid.

"We're addressing the holy grail of lithium metal batteries," said Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering, who is senior author of the paper along with Yi Cui, professor of materials science and engineering and of photon science at SLAC, a US Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory operated by Stanford. Bao added that dendrites had prevented lithium metal batteries from being used in what may be the next generation of electric vehicles.