Graphene-Modified 3D Copper Foam Current Collector for Dendrite-Free Lithium Deposition

Abstract

Lithium (Li) metal is regarded as the ideal anode for rechargeable Li-metal batteries such as Li-S and Li-air batteries. A series of problems caused by Li dendrites, such as low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and a short circuit, have limited the application of Li-metal batteries. In this study, a graphene-modified three-dimensional (3D) Copper (Cu) current collector is addressed to enable dendrite-free Li deposition. After Cu foam is immersed into graphene oxide (GO) suspension, a spontaneous reduction of GO, induced by Cu, generates reduced graphene oxide on a 3D Cu (rGO@Cu) substrate. The rGO@Cu foam not only provides large surface area to accommodate Li deposition for lowering the local effective current density, but also forms a rGO protective layer to effectively control the growth of Li dendrites. As current collector, the rGO@Cu foam shows superior properties than commercial Cu foam and planar Cu foil in terms of cycling stability and CE. The rGO@Cu foam delivers a CE as high as 98.5% for over 350 cycles at the current density of 1 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the full cell using LiFePO4 as cathode and Li metal as anode with rGO@Cu foam as current collector (LiFePO4/rGO@Cu-Li) is assembled to prove the admirable capacities and indicates commercialization of Li-metal batteries.

The versatility of the dynamic hydrogen bubble template derived copper foam on the emerging energy applications: progress and future prospects

“…The ample need for Cuf as a current collector or substrate in energy applications, even in solid-state devices, encourages the development of a facile method for its synthesis. [127][128][129] Unfortunately, most of the synthesis methods for Cuf have been very expensive, tedious, multi-step processes. This section, therefore, will describe a few of the most conventional synthesis techniques for Cuf synthesis as listed schematically in Fig.…”

Regulating Percolation Threshold via Dual Conductive Phases for High-Efficiency Microwave Absorption Performance in C and X Bands

“…The BET results shown in Figure S1 clearly prove the fact that the composites have a larger specific surface area with the increasing amount of GO. However, in addition to the hydrothermal reaction, Cu can also result in the reduction from GO to RGO. , As a consequence, with the GO content increasing to S10, Cu is substantially all consumed for reduction of the excess GO to RGO, enhancing the graphitization degree, as shown in Figure b. In addition, Table summarizes the cell parameter of the Fe 3 O 4 phase as well as the molar percentage of crystal Cu to Fe 3 O 4 obtained by Rietveld XRD analysis (Figure c).…”

Graphene in Solid-State Batteries: An Overview

“…Commercially, copper (Cu) is a preferred current collector for Li anode due to its electrochemical stability at low potentials (0.01-0.25 V vs. Li/Li + voltage). To improve Li anode performance, the incorporation of novel nanostructured materials such as graphene with Cu is being actively considered [107][108][109]. The CVD-derived graphene on Cu mesh (Figure 7a,b) improved the reversible capacity of Li-based SSBs by lowering the impedance [110].…”