Dendrite-Free Composite Li Anode Assisted by Ag Nanoparticles in a Wood-Derived Carbon Frame

Abstract

Using lithium metal as anode in lithium batteries has attracted great attention due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity of 3860 mA h g–1. However, the uneven deposition of lithium will cause dendrites, resulting in a poor cycling performance. Herein, a dendrite-free Li composite anode is developed by anchoring Ag nanoparticles in a wood-derived carbon (WDC) frame. The composite anode is integrally formed and has enough room for Li deposition due to the aligned open channels preserved from natural wood, which can decrease anode volume change greatly during cycling. The Ag nanoparticles, serving as seeds of lithium deposition, can help in the even deposition of lithium in the channels of carbon matrix due to their lithiophilicity and then avoid lithium dendrite formation. The composite anode exhibits excellent cyclic performance over 450 h at 1 mA cm–2 and over 300 h at 3 mA cm–2. The full cell of Ag-WDC@LFP also exhibits the smallest electrochemical polarization from 0.2 to 5 C, and a stable specific capacity and a high Coulombic efficiency at 1 C after a long time cycle. These results indicate that Ag nanoparticles play an important role in restraining dendrite formation during lithium plating/stripping. The wood-derived composite cathode can achieve no lithium dendrite formation and can be applied in other storage batteries.

Advances in the Design of 3D‐Structured Electrode Materials for Lithium‐Metal Anodes

“…In addition, a woodderived carbon frame with Ag nanoparticles and a 3D coreshell nanowire skeleton comprising a TiC core and a carbon shell was reported as a feasible electrode for guiding stable Li metal deposition/dissolution (Figure 7e). [124,125]…”

Tortuosity Modulation toward High‐Energy and High‐Power Lithium Metal Batteries

“…There are several approaches to achieve low-tortuous structures for hybrid lithium anodes, which can be categorized into microprocessing, [59][60] rolling-cutting, [61][62][63][64] templating, [65][66][67][68][69] direct growth, [70][71] and 3D printing [72] methods according to their synthesis processes. Microprocessing methods [59][60] usually involve laser or ion etching steps, which are highly dependent on the processing equipment, and have been used to generate vertically aligned microchannels on metallic foils.…”

“…Typical rolling-cutting method [61][62][63][64] consists of three steps: covering organic or inorganic films with lithium foil, rolling them into a cylinder, and then laterally cutting it into thin discs, i.e., hybrid lithium anodes, which is expected to be a favorable processing method for manufacturing low-tortuous arrays. Templating methods usually utilize wood, [65][66] ice crystal, [67][68] or anodized aluminum oxide [69] (AAO) as templates and convert conductive carbonaceous materials into low-tortuous arrays by positively or negatively replicating the microstructures of templates. Direct growth approaches include catalytic growth [70] and hydrothermal growth [71] method.…”

Reduced‐Graphene‐Oxide‐Guided Directional Growth of Planar Lithium Layers

“…To solve the notorious dendrite problem, tremendous efforts have been concentrated on the following three aspects: 1) Inducing the uniform nucleation and growth of Li metal utilizing substrates (Au, Ag, Mg, CuO, lithium–aluminum alloy) with low energy barriers for nucleation . 2) Suppressing/blocking the growth of Li dendrites using modified polymer/solid electrolytes, separators, interlayers, and current collectors .…”