Dealloyed nanoporous materials for rechargeable lithium batteries

Dealloying has been recognized as a universal strategy to fabricate various functional electrode materials with open networks, nanoscale ligaments, tunable pore sizes and rich surface chemistry, all of which are very attractive characteristics for rechargeable lithium batteries. In particular, lithium ion insertion/extraction in metal anodes is naturally associated with the alloying/dealloying mechanism. The past decade has witnessed rapid growth of this research field with enormous progress. In this review article, we first summarize the recent development and microstructural regulation of dealloyed materials. Next, we focus on the rational design of nanoporous electrodes for rechargeable lithium batteries and related structure-performance correlations. Finally, some critical issues and perspectives are presented to guide the future development directions of such promising technology for high-energy batteries.