Regulating the Li Nucleation/Growth Behavior via Cu₂O Nanowire Array and Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Lithium (Li) metal anodes are promising for next-generation batteries but suffer from dendrite growth and volume fluctuations.
• These issues pose significant safety risks and limit the commercial application of lithium metal batteries (LMBs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel 3D current collector for lithium metal anodes to address dendrite formation and volume changes.
• To enhance the interfacial stability and cycling performance of lithium metal batteries.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 3D current collector using vertically aligned Cu2O nanowire arrays (Cu2O NWAs) on copper foam (CF).
• Coating the Cu2O NWAs with a polydopamine (PDA) protective layer.
• Characterization of the electrode morphology and electrochemical performance in symmetrical and full cells.

Main Results:

• The CF@Cu2O NWAs@PDA structure provided lithiophilic sites for uniform Li nucleation and deposition.
• The nanochannels confined Li growth and buffered volume changes, while PDA acted as an artificial solid electrolyte interface.
• Symmetrical batteries demonstrated dendrite-free Li deposition and stable cycling for over 1000 hours at 3 mA cm-2.
• Full cells with a LiFePO4 cathode showed improved cycle stability and rate performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D current collector effectively suppresses lithium dendrite growth and enhances interfacial stability in LMBs.
• This approach offers a viable strategy for realizing safe and high-performance lithium metal batteries.