Interweaved Nanofiber Anode Coating Based on Covalent Organic Frameworks for High-Performance Lithium-Metal Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• High-rate lithium-metal batteries require advanced anode interfacial structures for improved performance.
• Existing interfaces often struggle with lithium insertion/extraction efficiency and dendrite formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a unique interfacial coating for high-rate lithium-metal batteries.
• To enhance lithium-metal battery performance through improved interfacial compatibility and dendrite suppression.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized an interweaved porous coating of covalent organic framework (ODH─Cu₃─COF) based helical nanofibers.
• Utilized non-linear oxalyldihydrazide and rigid Cu₃ units for framework assembly.
• Investigated the coating's properties using symmetric and full cell configurations, supported by theoretical calculations.

Main Results:

• The ODH─Cu₃─COF coating demonstrated excellent Coulombic efficiency (97.5% at 5 mA cm^-2) and a stable lifespan (1000 h) in symmetric cells.
• Full cells with the modified anode exhibited robust cycling stability (900 cycles at 5 C).
• Theoretical calculations confirmed the coating's lithiophilicity, reduced nucleation barrier, and fast desolvation.

Conclusions:

• The interweaved helical nanofiber network effectively facilitates Li⁺ transport and suppresses dendrites.
• The ODH─Cu₃─COF coating significantly improves the lifespan and high-rate capability of lithium-metal batteries.
• This interface engineering approach holds promise for next-generation high-performance batteries.