Abstract
The current revival of lithium metal batteries (LMB) has been driven by both the search for high energy‐density systems and the development of solid‐state batteries. Lithium electrode surface engineering is crucial to limit both the dendritic growth and the electrolyte reduction. Among the various strategies to obtain protecting layers, there has been a recent growing interest in metal coatings forming alloys with lithium. Here, various strategies to coat lithium and other metal electrodes (sodium, potassium and magnesium) are reviewed and discussed with respect to their efficiency, versatility, and their possible practical transfer to the battery industry.