Special Issue "Metal Anodes for High-Performance Batteries: Looking towards 2040"

Dear Colleagues,

Metal electrodes have gained increasing attention in the field of high-performance batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and working potential compared to traditional graphite-based electrodes. By integrating high-capacity cathodes such as sulfur and oxygen, metal anodes promise to improve power and energy density in batteries, potentially reducing cost as well. The development of metal electrodes offers exciting possibilities for the advancement of energy storage technologies that could enable a wide range of applications, from electric vehicles to grid-scale energy storage.

Despite their potential, the implementation of metal electrodes in practical batteries has been limited by several challenges, including poor cycling stability, low Coulombic Efficiency, and safety hazards. Recent research has focused on understanding the causes of the poor reversibility of metal anodes, such as the mechanism of dendritic growth during the electrochemical deposition of metals, and parasitic reactions occurring at the interface of the metal anode and the electrolyte. Addressing these challenges has been the focus of recent research efforts, with various approaches including the development of advanced electrode architectures, modification of electrode surfaces, and the use of new electrolytes.

This Special Issue aims to solicit contributions to further understand the fragility of metal anodes during charging/discharging processes and to provide innovative solutions to improve their cycling stability.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Mechanisms of dendrite formation during cycling;
• Anode cycling modeling;
• Influence of surface morphology and crystal structure on dendrite formation in metal anodes;
• Advanced imaging/characterization techniques for metal anodes and anode-electrolyte interfaces;
• Surface modification of metal anodes for improved Coulombic efficiency;
• Innovative electrolyte designs for dendrite suppression in metal anodes;
• Evaluation of the electrochemical behavior of metal anodes under different cycling conditions;
• Electrochemical cell design for enhanced safety.

Dr. Yue Deng
Dr. Weiyin Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• metal electrodes
• solid-state electrolytes
• dendrite suppression
• high-capacity anodes
• metal-air batteries
• electrochemical deposition
• Ionic liquid electrolytes
• cycling stability
• solid-electrolyte interface fire-retardant electrolytes
• coulombic efficiency
• high-energy-density batteries