Ultrathin Lithiophilic 3D Arrayed Skeleton Enabling Spatial-Selection Deposition for Dendrite-Free Lithium Anodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) offer high energy density but face challenges.
• Lithium (Li) dendrite growth and anode volume expansion hinder LMB commercialization.
• Effective current collectors are crucial for stable LMB performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel current collector for high-performance LMBs.
• To suppress lithium dendrite formation and mitigate anode volume expansion.
• To enhance the cycling stability and coulombic efficiency of LMBs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an ultrathin 3D hierarchical host: honeycomb copper micromesh loaded with lithiophilic copper oxide nanowires (CMMC).
• Characterization of the CMMC structure and its interaction with lithium metal.
• Electrochemical testing of CMMC in half-cells, symmetric batteries, and full cells.

Main Results:

• The 3D hierarchical CMMC structure promotes surface-preferred and spatial-selective lithium deposition.
• Half-cell testing demonstrated >400 cycles with 99% coulombic efficiency at 0.5 mA cm⁻².
• Symmetric batteries achieved stable cycling for >2000 h, and full cells delivered 166.6 mAh g⁻¹ capacity.

Conclusions:

• The developed CMMC current collector effectively suppresses lithium dendrite growth.
• This strategy enhances the electrochemical performance and cycling stability of lithium metal batteries.
• The facile and controllable approach offers a promising pathway for advanced energy storage solutions.