Revisiting the electroplating process for lithium metal anodes.

: Electroplating technique has been studied for centuries not only in laboratory but also in industry, satisfying requirements for machinery, electronics, automobile, aviation and other fields. Lithium metal anode is the Holy Grail electrode for its high energy density. But the recyclability of lithium metal batteries still remains quite challenging to be addressed. Considering the essence for both conventional electroplating and lithium plating is the metal cations reduction, we believe some mature industrial knowledge for electroplating technique can be applied to revisit the electroplating process for lithium metal anodes due to the same electrochemical principles. In conventional electroplating, some strategies like using additives, modifying substrates, applying pulse current and agitating electrolyte have been explored to suppress dendrite growth. These methods are also demonstrated effectively in lithium metal anode. Inspired by that, we revisit the fundamental electroplating theory for lithium metal anodes in this Minireview, mainly drawing attention to the theory of electroplating thermodynamics and kinetics. Analysis of essential difference between traditional electroplating and plating/stripping of lithium metal anodes is also presented. We hope the basic electroplating theory can help to expedite the lithium metal batteries implemented into market and the study of lithium plating/stripping can further enrich the knowledge of electroplating technique.