Engineering360: "Dendrites Detained by Li Metal Battery-Nanotube Duo"

why wouldn't the Li grow dendrites off the Carbon nanotubes? i don't understand why this wouldn't happen. As the Li reforms when charging, it has to grow somewhere, and preferentially grows as a dendrite. This is how the Li-ion battery works. maybe these Li-metal batteries operate differently? but it still stands to reason that once the Li- oxide is formed and recharging takes place, the Li metal needs to redeposit somewhere, and that would be the nanotubes. I guess it is possible that due to the high surface area that is created via the nanotubes, reformation of Li has many sites preferentially grow.

He wrote the answer:

The film discharges these stored ions during battery operation and the underlying Li anode refills it, maintaining the film’s ability to stop dendrite growth.

so where does the lithium oxide that is created end up?

METAL Li:

"As the Li reforms when charging, it has to grow somewhere, and preferentially grows as a dendrite"

Li OXIDE:

It is no longer conductor; it will not growth due it cracks.

that is kinda my point. if the Lithium is replenished from the base metal, and as the reaction takes place, the resultant is electrons and oxide. so where does the oxide go? i would imagine it would get in the way of the reaction since it is not conductive and lower the c value?

That is correct; inert material.