"Coming out of this study, the next step is to produce some form of really good lithium protection," said CUI Guanglei, lead author and a scientist with QIBEBT, "which should then deliver on the long-held promise of practical applications of the 'holy grail' of lithium metal batteries."

So, what is meant by this "holy grail" talk?  It means that if there is a way to make lithium metal batteries without the two big problems breaking down the lithium metal batteries then the result will be a battery more energy and power dense by a significant amount, i.e. a "better lithium battery" by far.  As it turns out, and as pointed out in this article, the initial work with lithium batteries was in the field of lithium metal batteries and when lithium batteries were commercialized as lithium ion batteries it was as a compromise solution due to the fact that at that time the limitations of the lithium metal batteries could not be overcome.  The Chinese now claim they have the key to solving the Achilles Heel problem of lithium metal batteries.

Something to keep an eye on, at the very least.  If the Chinese are correct then this could be a major step forward in the use of lithium to power EVs and in many other, if not all, applications of lithium being used for batteries.

Insights into lithium metal battery failure open doors to doubling battery life | EurekAlert! Science News