Electrodeposited 3D lithiophilic Ni microvia host for long cycling Li metal anode at high current density

Abstract

The uneven deposition of Li metal is the main reason leading to Li dendrite growth, dead Li formation and infinite volume change, shortening the Li metal battery lifetime and causing catastrophic safety hazards. The widely studied 3D micro-nanostructured lithiophilic Li metal anode hosts can suppress the Li dendrite growth, however, it could barely endure high-rate cycling due to the exacerbated uneven deposition of Li metal at a high current density. Herein, we report an electrodeposited 3D microvia structured lithiophilic Ni skeleton on planar Cu with a nanoscale surface roughness as Li metal anode current collector. The high specific surface area and nanoscale rough surface can achieve both low local current density and uniform electric field distribution, which contribute to the even deposition of Li metal at a high current density. Additionally, the in-situ formed Ni(OH)2 thin layer during electrodeposition is lithiophilic, which could induce the uniform Li nucleation. This 3D lithiophilic Ni microvia (3D NMV) host endow the Li metal anode with long cycling performance for over 830 cycles at an ultra-high current density of 10 mA cm−2. Our work illustrates the synergic effect of 3D structure and surface flatness in achieving high-rate cycling performance.