Li metal has been considered as an anode material for lithium secondary batteries (LSBs) for over four decades. However, its uncontrolled chemical reactivity towards organic solvents and dendritic growth at random in electrochemical cells delayed its commercialization in the secondary battery market. Thus, without developing stable Li metal electrode, we will not encounter lithium-oxygen (Li-O₂) and lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries as well as lithium metal secondary battery forever. However, regardless of tremendous endeavour to control the Li metal, unfortunately, the dendrite formation and growth mechanism has not been fully understood owing to the limited analysis in operando.

Therefore, we try to contruct a mathematical model to study the current distribution upon the Li metal and the growth rate of dendrites with a simulation tool, COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2. Since this simulation contains a moving electrode surface during electrodeposition process, the deformed geometry should be considered carefully. From these simulated results, we can have different dendrite growth behaviours depending on initial Li metal surficial morphology.

References

1. V. Srinivasan and J. Newman, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 151, A1530 (2004).

2. P. Arora, M. Doyle, A. S. Gozdz, R. E. White and J. Newman, Journal of power Sources, 88, 219 (2000).

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the international Collaborative Energy Technology R&D Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea. (No. 20158510050020) and by the Human Resource Training Program for Regional Innovation and Creativity through the Ministry of Education and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2014H1C1A1066977).