A review on nanofiber materials for lithium-metal batteries to suppress the dendritic lithium growth.

• The different fabrication techniques of nanofiber materials are summarized. • The functional action mechanisms of nanofibers for inhibiting Li dendrites are reviewed. • Various protection strategies of nanofiber materials to suppress the Li dendrites growth are summarized. • The challenges and prospects of nanofiber materials for Li anode are discussed. Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems. However, the uncontrolled dendritic lithium (Li) growth lead to low Coulombic efficiency and security issue, thus limiting the commercial applications of LMBs. Owing to the unique nanostructure characteristics, nanofiber materials offer innovative strategies and opportunities to resolve the tricky challenge. A comprehensive review of the fundamental researches and technological developments of various nanofiber materials for LMBs was presented in this paper. The fabrication techniques of nanofibers and several functional action mechanisms for inhibiting dendritic Li were outlined. Then the different protection technologies of nanofiber materials for LMBs to suppress the Li dendrites growth were summarized, which included modifying separators, introducing functional interlayers and constructing novel composite anodes and current collectors. Meanwhile, the electrochemical performances using different strategies of the overall LMBs were discussed. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of nanofiber materials for Li anode were discussed. These discussions and proposed strategies will enlighten thoughts and offer ways to the practical application of LMBs with excellent electrochemical performances in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]