Li, Na, K, and Mg metal anodes have the highest capacities of anodes of their respective rechargeable metal-ion battery systems but suffer from several issues that have precluded their practical deployment. While the electrochemistry of these systems has received extensive study, at the heart of many issues lies a mechanics of materials problem: damage or unstable deformation occurs during cycling. A deeper understanding of mechanics in these systems is thus required to mitigate these issues. To this end, through nanoindentation, microhardness, and bulk testing, this talk will present experimental studies of the mechanical properties of metallic Li, Na, K, and Mg anodes. These properties will be connected to implications in battery performance, as to provide insight into guiding the design of battery materials, architectures, and electrochemical conditions that mitigate unstable growth of metal anodes during electrochemical cycling.
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