Research Progress on Copper-Based Current Collector for Lithium Metal Batteries

Abstract

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) using lithium metal as the anode show great potential in improving energy density and power density than conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In addition to the common Li-containing cathode materials in LIBs that can be used in LMBs, some Li-free materials (S, O 2 , etc.) have also been developed and applied to cathodes in LMBs. However, the lithium metal anode with highly chemically activity still faces many challenges. For example, growing lithium dendrites, producing "dead lithium", and causing a series of safety hazards, etc. In addition, in order to use a small amount (or zero excess) of lithium metal to increase the energy density of the battery and meet the mechanical strength of lithium metal anode, using a metal current collector is very important for lithium metal anode. In this Review, we first will discuss the role of cathode and anode current collector in lithium metal. Then we will analyze the influence of anode current collector on lithium metal anode, and highlight the recent progress on copper-based current collector modification strategies. Finally, we will discuss new insights and future directions associated with the copper-based current collector.

Bridging Multiscale Characterization Technologies and Digital Modeling to Evaluate Lithium Battery Full Lifecycle

“…[85] Furthermore, they might also migrate and deposit on the anode surface to trigger similar problems as copper corrosion. [86] The continuous corrosion of current collector will lead to contact loss between active materials and current collector, resulting in resistance increase and capacity decay. [58,87]…”

Regulating the Li Nucleation/Growth Behavior via Cu2O Nanowire Array and Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase toward Highly Stable Li Metal Anode

“…According to the Sand time law, the high specific surface area in a 3D scaffold can suppress the dendritic Li growth by dissipating local current density. On this basis, various 3D scaffolds, such as Cu and Ni foams featuring high electronic conductivity and mechanical flexibility, have been proposed as hosts to regulate Li deposition/growth behaviors. , Nevertheless, the intrinsic “lithiophobic” nature of these ordinary 3D host materials usually produces a huge nucleation barrier, which is detrimental to homogeneous Li deposition and long-term cycle stability. Currently, introducing heterogeneous seeds has been viewed as a reliable method to enhance the lithiophilicity of the 3D scaffold .…”

A 3D Porous Inverse Opal Ni Structure on a Cu Current Collector for Stable Lithium‐Metal Batteries

“…[6][7][8] However, graphite, which has a relatively low theoretical specific capacity (372 mAh g À 1 ), is still the most commonly used anode material in current LIBs, and this limits further increases in the energy density of LIBs. [9,10] Among the various available candidates, Li metal is believed to be the best anode material for LIBs because of its high specific capacity (3860 mAh g À 1 ), low redox potential (À 3.04 V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode), and low density (0.59 g cm À 3 ). [11,12] However, the replacement of graphite with Li metal as an anode material has been limited by several serious problems.…”

“…Ultimately, the depletion of the electrolyte results cell death. [10][11][12] A more serious issue is that the Li dendrites can penetrate the polymer separator, causing short circuits and even explosions. [12,13] In addition, during the Li stripping process, the roots of the Li dendrites dissolve easily, and the Li dendrites are broken and isolated from the anode, thus forming "dead Li", which results in capacity fading.…”

“…[12,13] In addition, during the Li stripping process, the roots of the Li dendrites dissolve easily, and the Li dendrites are broken and isolated from the anode, thus forming "dead Li", which results in capacity fading. [10,14] These critical problems have prevented the development and application of durable Li metal batteries (LMBs), which have higher energy densities than conventional LIBs containing graphite-based anodes.…”