Advanced protection strategy of lithium metal anodes

Lithium metal anodes (LMAs) with a remarkably high theoretical capacity of 3860 mAh g⁻¹, have emerged as promising candidates for the post-lithium ion batteries (LIBs) era. However, lithium metal as a battery anode presents several obstacles that impede the commercialization of lithium metal batteries (LMBs), including high cost, environmental concerns, safety, inefficiency arising from dendrite growth, and side reactions during cycling. Current strategies to tackle these challenges primarily revolve around optimizing anode materials and interfaces. Therefore, through this review, we aim to summarize the critical challenges faced in the commercialization of LMBs and discuss the existing solutions being explored to overcome these obstacles. Key protection strategies to improve the battery cycle life and Coulombic efficiency (CE), including optimizing electrolyte formulations, designing advanced artificial solid-electrolyte interfaces (SEI), utilizing advanced separators, employing solid-state electrolytes (SSEs), and introducing new LMAs morphology are highlighted. We thoroughly analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy and discuss their potential impacts on the commercialization of LMBs, aiming to provide valuable insight for researchers engaged in developing advanced protection strategies.