Reversible epitaxial electrodeposition of metals in battery anodes

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 366; no. 6465; pp. 645 - 648
• Main Authors: Zheng, Jingxu, Zhao, Qing, Tang, Tian, Yin, Jiefu, Quilty, Calvin D., Renderos, Genesis D., Liu, Xiaotun, Deng, Yue, Wang, Lei, Bock, David C., Jaye, Cherno, Zhang, Duhan, Takeuchi, Esther S., Takeuchi, Kenneth J., Marschilok, Amy C., Archer, Lynden A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 01.11.2019; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Anodes; Batteries; Coated electrodes; Crystallography; Cycles; Dendrites; Electrochemistry; Electrode materials; Electrodeposition; Electrodes; Energy; ENERGY STORAGE; Epitaxial growth; Graphene; Heavy metals; Interfaces; Lattice strain; Liquid-solid interfaces; Metals; Nucleation; Rechargeable batteries; Short circuits; Stainless steel; Stainless steels; Texturing; Zinc; Zinc coatings; Zinc plating
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aax6873

The propensity of metals to form irregular and nonplanar electrodeposits at liquid-solid interfaces has emerged as a fundamental barrier to high-energy, rechargeable batteries that use metal anodes. We report an epitaxial mechanism to regulate nucleation, growth, and reversibility of metal anodes. The crystallographic, surface texturing, and electrochemical criteria for reversible epitaxial electrodeposition of metals are defined and their effectiveness demonstrated by using zinc (Zn), a safe, low-cost, and energy-dense battery anode material. Graphene, with a low lattice mismatch for Zn, is shown to be effective in driving deposition of Zn with a locked crystallographic orientation relation. The resultant epitaxial Zn anodes achieve exceptional reversibility over thousands of cycles at moderate and high rates. Reversible electrochemical epitaxy of metals provides a general pathway toward energy-dense batteries with high reversibility.