Three‐Dimensional Wettable Carbon Felt Host for Stable Lithium Metal Anode

Abstract

Lithium (Li) metal possesses a high specific capacity and low electrochemical potential, which is promising as an anode material for Li metal–based batteries. However, dendritic lithium deposition and “dead Li” formation during cycling severely restricte its practical applications. Herein, a nickel (Ni)‐coated carbon felt as the host is used for prefilling Li via a facile thermal infusion strategy, through which a Ni‐coated carbon felt (CFt/Ni–Li) composite anode is achieved. The obtained anode exhibits an ultrastable voltage profile with an ultralow hysteresis (40 mV at 10 mA cm−2) beyond 200 cycles in symmetric cells due to the good confinement of Li metal in the conductive carbon felt frameworks. Moreover, the porous carbon felt not only provides good electronic connection but also the space for accommodating volume expansion which leads to low dimensional change and the inhibition of Li dendrite growth. When paired with a LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode, the CFt/Ni–Li anode shows better rate capability and long‐term cycling stability after 600 cycles at 1C. An important strategy for the design of stable Li metal anodes is provided, which is significant for practical applications of advanced Li metal batteries.

Mechanically Resilient Graphene Assembly Microspheres with Interlocked N‐Doped Graphene Nanostructures Grown In Situ for Highly Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

“…In contrast, the Li-metal symmetric cell showed a characteristic peaking shape at both the start and end of each plating/stripping process, which was observed in previous studies. [17,23,25,70,78] These arc-type behaviors observed with the Li metal are attributed to the interference of convoluted Li-ion pathways owing to the complete coverage of dead-Li on the interphase between the electrode and the electrolyte. [70,79,80] At the fifth cycle, the Li-Ni-Gn/rGM symmetric cell showed lower voltage hysteresis (18.8 mV) for both the plating and stripping electrochemical processes than the Li-Ni/rGM (42.8 mV), Li-rGM (73.2 mV), and Li-metal (117.1 mV) symmetric cells.…”

“…However, the high mass density of these metallic hosts significantly decreases the gravimetric capacity and energy density of Li-metal anodes. [4,9,23] In this regard, lightweight porous carbon materials exhibit distinct advantages over metallic 3D hosts. [24,25] Specifically, they exhibit a desirably low mass density as well as high electrical conductivity and chemical stability, rendering them promising 3D host materials for Li-metal anodes.…”

“…However, the high mass density of these metallic hosts significantly decreases the gravimetric capacity and energy density of Li‐metal anodes. [ 4,9,23 ]…”

MOF‐Derived Materials Enabled Lithiophilic 3D Hosts for Lithium Metal Anode — A Review

“…[ 43‐44 ] However, most 3D hosts are lithiophobic so that lithiophilic materials need to be deposited on the surface of the 3D hosts. As a result, in order to improve the Li affinity, many strategies have been taken for modifying the 3D hosts, such as electrodeposition, [ 45 ] atomic layer deposition, [ 46‐49 ] thermal spraying, [ 50‐51 ] and so on. The advantages and disadvantages of modifying 3D hosts in different ways mentioned above have been reviewed well in ref., [ 27,52‐53 ] thus these reported methods in previous studies are not the topic of this work.…”

Exchange of Li and AgNO3 Enabling Stable 3D Lithium Metal Anodes with Embedded Lithophilic Nanoparticles and a Solid Electrolyte Interphase Inducer

“…Many strategies such as electrolyte engineering, − artificial SEI, − and three-dimensional (3D) current collectors − have been developed to tackle these problems, but it is difficult to simultaneously address all these issues. Among them, 3D current collectors are benign hosts for LMAs, which can prolong the periods of dendrite growth and alleviate the huge volume expansion of Li + plating/stripping. , However, they usually fail to generate a durable SEI during cycling.…”