Lithium Metal Anode Fabrication: Methods, Challenges, and Strategies

The pursuit of ultra‐high energy‐dense lithium‐metal batteries (LMBs) has reignited the drive to fabricate ultrathin high‐quality lithium metal anodes. This review critically evaluates four representative manufacturing techniques: extrusion, molten lithium infusion, electroplating, and physical vapor deposition (PVD). We analyze each method across key performance metrics—thickness control, purity, interfacial uniformity, scalability, and cost efficiency—to highlight their unique trade‐offs. Extrusion offers robust scalable foils with mechanical homogenization, whereas molten infusion enables conformal penetration into 3D porous hosts. Electroplating delivers exceptional control over nucleation and morphology via electrolyte engineering and interfacial design. PVD methods (thermal evaporation, sputtering, and pulsed‐laser deposition) afford atomically clean films with precise microstructural tuning. Despite substantial advances in each route, significant challenges remain—including large‐area manufacturing, long‐term solid‐electrolyte interphase stability, and cost‐effective scaling. We propose a forward‐looking roadmap centered on hybrid manufacturing strategies, operando and in situ diagnostics, sustainability assessment, and safety and regulatory frameworks. By synergizing the complementary advantages of different approaches, we argue that a holistic manufacturing paradigm can accelerate the translation of lithium metal anodes from laboratory‐scale demonstrations to industrially viable high‐energy battery systems.