The
utilization of 3D Cu current collectors has been approved to
be an efficient design to suppress the uncontrolled dendrite growth
of Li metal anodes. However, the widely used 3D metallic Cu often
has high self-weight and impaired mechanical properties and cannot
meet the requirements of high energy density and industrial production.
Here, we developed a lightweight, malleable, lithiophilic, and reticular
composite Cu-based current collector using a nylon (PA) framework
as the 3D substrate, by a synergized approach of combining the conductive
Cu/PA with lithiophilic reducing graphene oxide (ERGO) coating. The
3D grid arrangement lowered the regional current density, and the
lithiophilic ERGO layer induced Li nucleation, all of which endowed
the ERGO@Cu/PA mesh as an anode current collector with attractive
performance. The ERGO@Cu/PA composite was applied to display the necessary
dendrite-free Li deposition behavior. It delivered an impressive Li
plating/stripping behavior and electrochemical performance in half
cells and Li/Li symmetric battery tests. The full cell using the ERGO@Cu/PA
composite with predeposited Li as the anode and LiFePO4 as the cathode achieved stable cycling and excellent rate performance.
Notably, the synergistic combination of light and flexible 3D Cu/PA
mesh with lithiophilic ERGO coating proved a valid path to adjust
Li anodes in the fields such as flexible wearable devices.