Lithium metal is an ultimate anode material to achieve the highest energy density for a given cathode by providing a higher cell voltage and capacity. However, lithium is not used as the anode in commercial lithium-ion batteries because electrochemical dendrite formation and growth during charge can induce a cell short-circuit and the corresponding safety hazards. Plating of lithium through a bed of solid electrolyte particles is shown to transform dendrite growth into a three-dimensional lithium network formed by wetting the particle surfaces in the presence of a carbonate-based liquid electrolyte. It was also found that not every solid electrolyte could be wet by lithium in our systematic investigation.

Upon wetting by lithium metal, a higher overpotential during Li deposition than that with dendrite growth was observed in galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The characteristic overpotential increase could be correlated with the morphological changes and a more isotropic growth behavior. The origin of the bonding responsible for wetting of the solid-electrolyte particles by lithium will be discussed.