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Anode-Free Lithium Metal Battery Enabled by Oxygen-Functionalized MWCNT and TiN Interlayer for Uniform Lithium
Chaoyin Peng1, Li Wang2, Yin Li1
1The National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, School of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|June 8, 2026
Summary
A novel Cu@TiN-MWCNT interfacial layer enhances anode-free lithium metal batteries by enabling uniform lithium deposition. This design suppresses dendrite growth, improving battery performance and longevity for next-generation energy storage.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Anode-free lithium metal batteries (AFLMBs) offer high energy density and safety but suffer from capacity decay and lithium dendrite formation.
- Developing stable and efficient current collectors is crucial for AFLMB practical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and implement a Cu@TiN-MWCNT interfacial layer on copper foil for improved lithium deposition and stripping in AFLMBs.
- To enhance the stability and performance of AFLMBs by suppressing dendritic lithium growth.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a Cu@TiN-MWCNT interfacial layer using TiN nanoparticles and COOH-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes on copper foil.
- Electrochemical characterization of the modified current collector in AFLMBs, including cycling performance and coulombic efficiency measurements.
- Analysis of the interfacial layer's role in promoting uniform lithium deposition and solid electrolyte interphase formation.
Main Results:
- The Cu@TiN-MWCNT layer provided abundant lithiophilic sites, reducing lithium nucleation overpotential.
- The conductive network and carboxyl groups facilitated uniform lithium deposition, suppressed dendrites, and formed a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase.
- The Li/Cu@TiN-MWCNT||LFP cell demonstrated a specific capacity of 144.15 mAh g-1 after 150 cycles at 3 C, with 51.41% capacity retention and 98.67% coulombic efficiency after 80 cycles.
Conclusions:
- The rationally designed Cu@TiN-MWCNT interfacial layer effectively enables highly reversible lithium deposition/stripping in AFLMBs.
- This approach offers a promising strategy for developing advanced current collectors for high-performance AFLMBs.
- The study highlights a new direction for improving the cycle life and safety of next-generation high-energy-density batteries.
