Figure 4.

Models and schematic diagrams of the formation process of SEI on the surface of the lithium metal cathode. (a) Schematic representation of the model. The lithium metal substrate at the bottom serves as the negative electrode, characterized by a dynamic boundary influenced by the rate of lithium deposition. The profile of the substrate surface is defined by the function z = z(x, t). Additionally, there exists an evolving SEI on top of this surface with a varying thickness (coverage density) denoted as h (xs, t) [69]. (b) Schematic of electrodeposition of Li at the interphase between the bulk metal electrode and SEI involving electrochemical kinetics of Li as well as mechanical stresses [2]. (c) Flow diagram under which the algorithm operates. The light-green loop addresses the electrolyte reduction reactions, while the dark-green loop addresses the exchange reactions driving the SEI aggregation processes [77]. (d) Schematic representation of the SEI formation process occurring at the interphase between the SEI and electrode. The SEI allows for continuous diffusion of solvent (S) and lithium ions from the solution phase, which subsequently react with electrons present on the surface of the electrode. This reaction ultimately leads to the generation of an insoluble product (P) [78]. (e) Reconceptualizing the formation of SEI on lithium metal through schematic modeling [79].