In situ confocal microscopic observation on inhibiting the dendrite formation of a-CNx/Li electrode

To prevent the formation of dendritic lithium on the electrodes, nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon (a-CNx) films of nanosized thicknesses were deposited onto the surface of a metallic lithium foil by a magnetron sputtering technique. In this study, in situ visualization using confocal microscopy was adopted to monitor the formation of dendrite growth and a homogeneous nucleation theory was hypothesized for the first time. In addition, the voltage versus time test and the EIS analysis were used to characterize the stability of a-CNx coated Li electrodes. As a result, the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon films can enhance the stability of the Li electrode and efficiently suppress the dendrite formation.