3D Porous Cu-Composites for Stable Li-Metal Battery Anodes

Abstract

Lithium (Li) metal is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high theoretical specific capacity of 3860 mAh g −1 and the low potential of −3.04 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE). However, these anodes rely on repeated plating and stripping of Li, which leads to consumption of Li inventory and the growth of dendrites that can lead to self-discharge and safety issues. To address these issues, as well as problems related to the volume change of these anodes, a number of different porous conductive scaffolds have been reported to create high surface area electrode on which Li can be plated reliably. While impressive results have been reported in literature, current processes typically rely on either expensive or poorly scalable techniques. Herein, we report a scalable fabrication method to create robust 3D Cu anodes using a one-step electrodeposition process. The areal loading, pore structure, and electrode thickness can be tuned by changing the electrodeposition parameters, and we show how standard mechanical calendering provides a way to further optimize electrode volume, capacity, and cycling stability. Optimized electrodes achieve high Coulombic efficiencies (CEs) of 99% during 800 cycles in half cells at a current density of 0.5 mA cm −2 with a total capacity of 0.5 mAh cm −2 . To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest value ever reported for a host for Li-metal anodes using lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide LITFSI based electrolyte.

A 3D Hierarchical Host with Gradient‐Distributed Dielectric Properties toward Dendrite‐free Lithium Metal Anode

“…Based on the classical sand's equation, the formation of Li dendrites is determined by dynamic factors, including initial lithium-ion concentration, local current density, and lithium-ion mobility. [16] As functional structures, the construction of three-dimensional (3D) Li anode, including porous metal-based (Ni, [17,18] Cu, [19,20] , etc. ), carbonaceousbased (nanosphere, [21,22] nanotubes, [23] fiber, [24][25][26] reduced graphene oxide, [27] carbon foam, [28] , etc.…”

Anchoring Active Li Metal in Oriented Channel by In Situ Formed Nucleation Sites Enabling Durable Lithium‐Metal Batteries

“…[ 27–30 ] Although these considerable efforts have made a great contribution to the development of LMBs, the reversible capacity is usually limited within a small value, hardly maintaining homogeneous Li deposition morphology with high areal capacity during the extended Li plating/stripping cycles. [ 31,32 ] And this integration of nucleation site strategy into carbon‐based Li hosts is yet at its early stage. [ 33,34 ]…”

Constructing Sn-Cu2O Lithiophilicity Nanowires as Stable and High-Performance Lithium Metal Anodes

“…With the rapid development of electric vehicles and electronic devices, the demand for high-energy-density batteries has surged. , In this context, lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) have gained considerable attention as an ideal choice. The Li metal, with its extremely high theoretical capacity (3860 mA h g –1 ), lowest reduction potential (3.04 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE)), and low weight density (0.53 g cm –3 ), is regarded as the “holy grail” for manufacturing more efficient electric vehicles compared with lithium-ion batteries. − However, the utilization of LMBs also presents a series of challenges during charge/discharge cycles, such as poor cycle life, inferior stability, and safety concerns, posing significant obstacles to their commercial application. − These challenges include the following: (1) irregular dendrite growth that can puncture the separator, leading to short circuits and safety issues − ; (2) inferior cycle performance caused by continuous side reactions toward the Li metal and considerable “dead lithium” formation − ; (3) complete anode pulverization and electrical failure evoked by infinite volume change. , Therefore, overcoming the above-mentioned obstacles is crucial for mitigating the cycling deficiencies of LMBs. To date, many methods have been proposed to enhance the electrochemical performance of LMBs, such as constructing a modification layer on the lithium metal current collector, − adding functionalized electrolyte additives, − building an artificial solid electrolyte interface (ASEI), − and so on.…”