In-situ construction of lithiophilic interphase in vertical micro-channels of 3D copper current collector for high performance lithium-metal batteries

Abstract

Although the great demand for high-energy-density batteries has inspired the renewed interest of rechargeable lithium metal batteries that use metallic lithium as the anode, short lifespan and serious safety risks caused by the substantial volume change of the Li electrode during plating/stripping and the uncontrollable growth of Li dendrites are two main issues of Li metal anode. In this study, a new 3D Cu current collector with a pore structure of vertical micro-channels coated with a lithiophilic Li-Sb interphase is prepared via a facile synthesis procedure. The introduced lithiophilic interphase can dramatically reduce the Li nucleation barrier to inhibit the formation of Li dendrites. The vertical micro-channels pore structure can effectively lower the local current density to regulate a smooth Li deposition. Consequently, the symmetrical cells with the hybrid architecture substrate demonstrates an ultra-long lifespan over 2000 h at 12 mA cm−2 for 12 mAh cm−2. Full cells made of such a 3D copper supported Li anode coupled with a LiFePO4 cathode with a similar architeture can achieve a remarkable retention of 91.23% at a high areal capacity (~ 6 mAh cm−2) over 150 cycles under a harsh condition (low N/P capacity ratio of 1.5).