Lithiophilicity: The key to efficient lithium metal anodes for lithium batteries

Lithium metal anode of lithium batteries,including lithium-ion batteries,has been considered the anode for next-generation batteries with desired high energy densities due to its high theoretical specific capacity(3860 mA h g^(-1))and low standards electrode potential(-3.04 V vs.SHE).However,the highly reactive nature of metallic lithium and its direct contact with the electrolyte could lead to severe chemical reactions,leading to the continuous consumption of the electrolyte and a reduction in the cycle life and Coulombic efficiency.In addition,the solid electrolyte interface formed during battery cycling is mainly inorganic,which is too fragile to withstand the extreme volume change during the plating and stripping of lithium.The uneven flux of lithium ions could lead to excessive lithium deposition at local points,resulting in needle-like lithium dendrites,which could pierce the separator and cause short circuits,battery failure,and safety issues.In the last five years,tremendous efforts have been dedicated to addressing these issues,and the most successful improvements have been related to lithiophilicity optimizations.Thus,this paper comprehensively reviewed the lithiophilicity regulation in lithium metal anode modifications and highlighted the vital effect of lithiophilicity.The remaining challenges faced by the lithiophilicity optimization for lithium metal anodes are discussed with the proposed research directions for overcoming the technical challenges in this subject.

Understanding Dual-Polar Group Functionalized COFs for Accelerating Li-Ion Transport and Dendrite-Free Deposition in Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium metal batteries(LMBs)have attracted wide attentions because of their high theoretical specific capacity and low electrochemical potential.However,the growth of lithium dendrites seriously affects the practical application of LMBs.Thus,the lithium-philic carbonyl and carboxy dualgroup-modified covalent organic framework(COF-COOH)is designed to coat the polypropylene(PP)separator(COF-COOH@PP separator),realizing the regulation of ion transport and uniform lithium deposition.The plentiful and negative charge sites in the COF-COOH can suppress the diffusion of the freely movable lithium salt anion by the electrostatic interaction.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations demonstrate that the COF-COOH possesses the function of anchoring anion and desolvation.Consequently,the Li^(+)transference number(0.7),ion conductivity(0.64 mS cm^(-1)),and desolvating of Li^(+)are obviously improved by using the COF-COOH@PP separator.The modified Li-Li symmetric battery delivers stable cycle for more than 1000 h and lower voltage hysteresis(0.02 V).This dendrite-free deposition strategy holds great promise for practical application of Li metal anodes.

Homogenous metallic deposition regulated by abundant lithiophilic sites in nickel/cobalt oxides nanoneedle arrays for lithium metal batteries

Although lithium(Li)metal delivers the highest theoretical capacity as a battery anode,its high reactivity can generate Li dendrites and"dead"Li during cycling,resulting in poor reversibility and low Li utilization.Inducing uniform Li plating/stripping is the core of solving these problems.Herein,we design a highly lithiophilic carbon film with an outer sheath of the nanoneedle arrays to induce homogeneous Li plating/stripping.The excellent conductivity and 3D framework of the carbon film not only offer fast charge transport across the entire electrode but also mitigate the volume change of Li metal during cycling.The abundant lithiophilic sites ensure stable Li plating/stripping,thereby inhibiting the Li dendritic growth and"dead"Li formation.The resulting composite anode allows for stable Li stripping/plating under 0.5 mA cm^(-2) with a capacity of 0.5 mA h cm^(-2) for 4000 h and 3 mA cm^(-2) with a capacity of3 mA h cm^(-2) for 1000 h.The Ex-SEM analysis reveals that lithiophilic property is different at the bottom,top,or channel in the structu re,which can regulate a bottom-up uniform Li deposition behavior.Full cells paired with LFP show a stable capacity of 155 mA h g^(-1) under a current density of 0.5C.The pouch cell can keep powering light-emitting diode even under 180°bending,suggesting its good flexibility and great practical applications.

Ultrathin and Air-Stable Lithium Metal Anodes with Superlong Cycling Life in Ether/Ester-Based Electrolytes

Ultrathin and air-stable Li metal anodes hold great promise toward high-energy and high-safety Li metal batteries(LMBs).However,the application of LMBs is technically impeded by existing Li metal anodes with large thickness,high reactivity,and poor performance.Here,we developed a novel and scalable approach for the construction of a 10-μm-thick flexible and air-stable Li metal anode by conformally encapsulating Li within a multifunctional VN film.Specifically,the highly lithiophilic VN layer guides a uniform deposition of Li,while abundant and multilevel pores arising from assembly of ultrathin nanosheets enable a spatially confined immersion of metallic Li,thus ensuring an ultrathin and sandwiched Li anode.More impressively,the strong hydrophobicity of VN surface can effectively improve the stability of anode to humid air,whereas the highly conductive framework greatly boosts charge transfer dynamics and enhances Li utilization and high-rate capability.Benefiting from such fascinating features,the constructed Li-VN anode exhibits ultrastable cycling stability in both ether(2500 h)and carbonate(900 h)electrolytes,respectively.Moreover,even exposed to ambient air for 12 h,the anode still can retain~78%capacity,demonstrating excellent air-defendable capability.This work affords a promising strategy for fabricating high-performance,high-safety,and low-cost LMBs.

A 10-μm Ultrathin Lithium Metal Composite Anodes with Superior Electrochemical Kinetics and Cycling Stability

Lithium metal is a promising candidate for the promotion of the next generation high energy density batteries.The employment of ultrathin Li metal anode with controllable thickness could enable a higher efficiency of Li utilization.Herein,a simple method to fabricate free-standing 10μm ultrathin Li metal anode is developed in this work.A three-dimensional MnO_(x)-coated CNT framework is constructed through a facile hydrothermal process,utilizing as a host for molten Li infusion,which could not only put forward a simple strategy to modulate the thickness of Li metal film but also restricts the volume expansion.The abundant MnO_(x)nanoparticles acting as lithiophilic sites reduce the Li nucleation barrier and optimize the electrochemical kinetics at the anode/electrolyte interface.As a result,the ultrathin Li composite anode exhibits a superior lifespan expanded to 2000 cycles in a symmetric cell,as well as a better capacity and rate capability than that of bare Li anode in full cell,fulfilling the requirements of high energy density and stable cycling life.Furthermore,a wave-shaped Li metal pouch cell based on the ultrathin Li composite anode is assembled that exhibits remarkable mechanical bending toleration and cyclic stability,demonstrating large potential application in the field of flexible wearable devices.

Single-Atom Lithiophilic Sites Confined within Ordered Porous Carbon for Ultrastable Lithium Metal Anodes

Attributing to the high specific capacity and low electrochemical reduction potential,lithium(Li)metal is regarded as the most promising anode for high-energy Li batteries.However,the growth of lithium dendrites and huge volume change seriously limit the development of lithium metal batteries.To overcome these challenges,an ordered mesoporous N-doped carbon with lithiophilic single atoms is proposed to induce uniform nucleation and deposition of Li metal.Benefiting from the synergistic effects of interconnected three-dimensional ordered mesoporous structures and abundant lithiophilic single-atom sites,regulated local current density and rapid mass transfer can be achieved,leading to the uniform Li deposition with inhibition of dendrites and buffered volume expansion.As a result,the as-fabricated anode exhibits a high CE of 99.8%for 200 cycles.A stable voltage hysteresis of 14 mV at 5 mA cm^(−2)could be maintained for more than 1330 h in the symmetric cell.Furthermore,the full cell coupled with commercial LiFePO_(4)exhibits high reversible capacity of 108 mAh g^(−1)and average Coulombic efficiency of 99.8%from 5th to 350th cycles at 1 C.The ordered mesoporous carbon host with abundant lithiophilic single-atom sites delivers new inspirations into rational design of high-performance Li metal anodes.

3D Free-Standing Carbon Nanofibers Modified by Lithiophilic Metals Enabling Dendrite-Free Anodes for Li Metal Batteries

Li metal with high-energy density is considered as the most promising anode for the next-generation rechargeable Li metal batteries;however,the growth of Li dendrites seriously hinders its practical application.Herein,3D free-standing carbon nanofibers modified by lithiophilic metal particles(CNF/Me,Me=Sn,Fe,Co)are obtained in situ by the electrospinning method.Benefiting from the lithophilicity,the CNF/Me composite may effectively prevent the formation of Li dendrites in the Li metal batteries.The optimized CNF/Sn–Li composite electrode exhibits a stable cycle life of over 2350 h during Li plating/stripping.When matched with typical commercial LiFePO_(4)(LFP)cathode,the LFP//CNF/Sn–Li full cell presents a high initial discharge specific capacity of 139 mAh g^(−1)at 1 C,which remains at 146 mAh g^(−1)after 400 cycles.When another state-of-the-art commercial LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM(811))cathode is used,the assembled NCM//CNF/Sn–Li full cell shows a large initial specific discharge capacity of 206 mAh g^(−1)at substantially enhanced 10 C,which keeps at the good capacity of 99 mAh g^(−1)after 300 cycles.These results are greatly superior to the counterparts with Li as the anodes,indicating the great potential for practical utilization of the advanced CNF/Sn–Li electrode.

In Situ Reaction Fabrication of a Mixed-Ion/Electron-Conducting Skeleton Toward Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium metal batteries are emerging as a strong candidate in the future energy storage market due to its extremely high energy density.However,the uncontrollable lithium dendrites and volume change of lithium metal anodes severely hinder its application.In this work,the porous Cu skeleton modified with Cu_(6)Sn_(5)layer is prepared via dealloying brass foil following a facile electroless process.The porous Cu skeleton with large specific surface area and high electronic conductivity effectively reduces the local current density.The Cu_(6)Sn_(5)can react with lithium during the discharge process to form lithiophilic Li_(7)Sn_(2)in situ to promote Li-ions transport and reduce the nucleation energy barrier of lithium to guide the uniform lithium deposition.Therefore,more than 300 cycles at 1 mA cm^(−2)are achieved in the half-cell with an average Coulombic efficiency of 97.5%.The symmetric cell shows a superior cycle life of more than 1000 h at 1 mA cm^(−2)with a small average hysteresis voltage of 16 mV.When coupled with LiFePO_(4)cathode,the full cell also maintains excellent cycling and rate performance.

Self-assembled, highly-lithiophilic and well-aligned biomass engineered MXene paper enables dendrite-free lithium metal anode in carbonate-based electrolyte

Lithium metal anode is the ideal candidate for high-energy–density rechargeable batteries.However,uncontrolled dendrite growth hampers its commercialization.Herein,a dendrite-free composite Li metal anode is realized by a flexible,freestanding,well-aligned and highly-lithiophilic MXene paper designed by a facile electrostatic self-assembly of the exfoliated MXene nanosheets and natural polysaccharidechitosan (MX@CS).The MX@CS paper gets a well-aligned layered-3D structure with a micro-crumpled surface that can effectively decrease the local current density,guide even Li plating and suppress dendritic Li growth.More importantly,surface-adsorbed chitosan endows enhanced lithiophilicity for MXene substrate and thus reduces the Li nucleation overpotential,which is confirmed by the density functional theory calculations.Abundant lithiophilic groups on MX@CS surface provide highconcentration Li^(+)anchoring site promoting Li nucleation and laterally inducing uniform Li deposition,which effectively avoids the formation of dendritic Li.As a result,the MX@CS-Li anode with a dendrite-free Li morphology shows a significantly improved cycling life in commercial carbonatebased electrolyte.When coupled with LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)cathode,the full cell exhibits a low capacity decay and steady ultrahigh Coulombic efficiency of 99.6%at a current density of 5C.These findings develop a new approach for designing high-performance metal-based rechargeable batteries.

A 3D conducting scaffold with in-situ grown lithiophilic Ni_(2)P nanoarrays for high stability lithium metal anodes

Lithium(Li)metal is the most potential anode material for the next-generation high-energy rechargeable batteries.However,intrinsic surface unevenness and‘hostless’nature of Li metal induces infinite volume effect and uncontrollable dendrite growth.Herein,we design the in-situ grown lithiophilic Ni_(2)P nanoarrays inside nickel foam(PNF).Uniform Ni_(2)P nanoarrays coating presents a very low nucleation overpotential,which induces the homogeneous Li deposition in the entire spaces of three-dimensional(3D)metal framework.Specifically,the lithiophilic Ni_(2)P nanoarrays possess characteristics of electrical conductivity and structural stability,which have almost no expansion and damage during repeating Li plating/stripping.Therefore,they chronically inhibit the growth of Li dendrites.This results in an outstanding Coulombic efficiency(CE)of 98% at 3 mA cm^(-2) and an ultra long cycling life over 2000 cycles with a low overpotential.Consequently,the PNF-Li||LiFePO_(4) battery maintains a capacity retention of 95.3% with a stable CE of 99.9% over 500 cycles at 2 C.

ZnCo2O4/ZnO induced lithium deposition in multi-scaled carbon/nickel frameworks for dendrite-free lithium metal anode

Lithium metal attracts growing attention as an ideal anode candidate for next generation lithium battery systems owing to its high capacity,low density,and low working potential.However,the volume expansion of the bulk and dendrite growth on the surface of lithium anode limits its practical application.Herein,we fabricate a composite lithium host featuring both multiple scaled structure and lithiophilic property to address obstacles at both aspects of bulk and surface simultaneously.In which,the multiple scaled structure provides void space to accommodate lithium volume change while zinc and cobalt oxides sites derived from Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks can react with lithium and form a stable solid electrolyte interphase,leading to a stable cycling of lithium symmetrical cell for more than 500 cycles with voltage hysteresis of only 88 mV at 2 mAcm^-2 and 5 mAh cm^-2.Moreover,full cells paired with LiFePO4 cathode can realize 500 cycles with 99.2%capacity retention,showing great potential for practical applications.The excellent electrochemical performance of the composite lithium anode proves the effectiveness of our anode design with multiple scaled structure and lithiophilic feature,which can be also expanded to other metal anodes for batteries.

New insights into the formation of silicon-oxygen layer on lithium metal anode via in situ reaction with tetraethoxysilane

Lithium metal-based secondary batteries are very promising for next generation power battery due to their high energy density.However,lithium anodes suffer from poor electrochemical reversibility in organic electrolytes due to Li dendrites and instability of the solid electrolyte interphase.Recent research demonstrated that the problem can be alleviated via tetraethoxysilane(TEOS)treated lithium metal to form a silicon oxide layer on the lithium surface,however,its reaction mechanism is controversial.Herein,we deeply explore the reaction mechanism between TEOS and Li and propose:Fresh Li can directly react with TEOS even though no lithium hydroxide exists on the lithium surface,and the participation of water will accelerate the reaction process.Moreover,it was found that the silicon oxide layer can promote the uniform deposition of lithium ions by providing lithiophilic nucleation sites,thereby achieving a long cycle life of Li metal batteries.

Guided lithium nucleation and growth on lithiophilic tin-decorated copper substrate

Lithium metal is the ultimate anode choice for high energy rechargeable lithium batteries owing to its ultra-high theoretical capacity,however,Li dendrites and low Coulombic efficiency(CE)caused by disordered Li plating restrict its practical application.Herein,we develop an ultrathin Sn-decorated Cu substrate(Sn@Cu)fabricated by an electroless plating method to induce ordered Li nucleation and growth behavior.The lithiophilic Sn interfacial layer is found to play a critical role to lower the Li nucleation over-potential and promote fast Li-migration kinetics,and the underlying mechanism is revealed using the first principle calculations.Accordingly,a dense dendrite-free and Li deposition with large granular morphology is obtained,which significantly improved the CE and cycling performance of Li‖Sn@Cu half cells symmetric cells.Symmetric cells using the Li-Sn@Cu electrode display a much-prolonged life span(>1200 h)with low overpotential(~18 mV)at a high current density of 1 mA cm^(-2).Moreover,full cells paired with commercial LiFePO_(4) cathode(1.8 mAh cm^(-2))deliver enhanced cycling stability(0.5 C,300 cycles)and excellent rate performance.This work provides a simple and effective way to bring about high efficiency and long lifespan substrates for practical applications.

Dendrite‑Free and Stable Lithium Metal Battery Achieved by a Model of Stepwise Lithium Deposition and Stripping

The uncontrolled formation of lithium(Li)dendrites and the unnecessary consumption of electrolyte during the Li plating/stripping process have been major obstacles in developing safe and stable Li metal batteries.Herein,we report a cucumber-like lithiophilic composite skeleton(CLCS)fabricated through a facile oxidationimmersion-reduction method.The stepwise Li deposition and stripping,determined using in situ Raman spectra during the galvanostatic Li charging/discharging process,promote the formation of a dendrite-free Li metal anode.Furthermore,numerous pyridinic N,pyrrolic N,and CuxN sites with excellent lithiophilicity work synergistically to distribute Li ions and suppress the formation of Li dendrites.Owing to these advantages,cells based on CLCS exhibit a high Coulombic efficiency of 97.3%for 700 cycles and an improved lifespan of 2000 h for symmetric cells.The full cells assembled with LiFePO_(4)(LFP),SeS_(2) cathodes and CLCS@Li anodes demonstrate high capacities of 110.1 mAh g^(−1) after 600 cycles at 0.2 A g^(−1) in CLCS@Li|LFP and 491.8 mAh g^(−1) after 500 cycles at 1 A g^(−1) in CLCS@Li|SeS2.The unique design of CLCS may accelerate the application of Li metal anodes in commercial Li metal batteries.

Unveiling the role of lithiophilic sites denseness in regulating lithium ion deposition

The construction of lithiophilic sites is an effective way to achieve uniform lithium(Li)ion deposition for stably cycling Li metal batteries.However,in-depth investigations involving lithiophilic sites denseness(LSD)in impacting Li ion deposition remain unknown.Herein we propose an insight into this issue by probing the effect of LSD on determining the Li ion deposition.Experimental characterization and theoretical simulation demonstrate that rational LSD plays a vital role in both Li nucleation and the subsequent Li ion plating behaviors.By tailoring the LSD from low to high,the accompanied Li nucleation overpotentials continuously decrease.Additionally,the Li ion mobility increases first and then weakens in the subsequent Li ion plating stage.Consequently,the Li metal with a moderate LSD allows a dendritefree morphology and satisfactory long-term cycling performances.This work affords a deeper fundamental understanding of lithiophilic chemistry that directs the development of efficient strategies to realize dendrite-free Li metal batteries.

Hierarchically porous Cu current collector with lithiophilic CuxO interphase towards high-performance lithium metal batteries

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation electrochemical energy storage due to low electrochemical potential and high specific capacity.However,large volume change and uncontrollable formation of lithium dendrite during cycling severely hinder the practical application of rechargeable Li metal batteries.Herein,we report a hierarchically porous Cu covered with lithiophilic CuxO(HPCu-CuxO) via femtosecond laser strategy in about 2 min as current collector for highperformance Li metal batteries.With precisely tunable pore volume and depth as well as lithiophilic CuxO interphase,the HPCu-CuxO not only guides homogeneous Li nucleation,resulting in a smooth and dendrite-free lithium surface,but also provides space to alleviate the volume expansion of Li metal anode,achieving excellent structure stability.Consequently,highly stable Coulombic efficiency and ultralow overpotential of 15 mV even up to 1000 h were achieved at the current density of 1 mA cm^(-2).Moreover,the resultant Li@HPCu-CuxO//LiFePO_(4) full battery delivered outstanding cycle stability and rate capability.These results offer a pathway toward high-energy-density and safe rechargeable Li metal batteries.

Transformation of Undesired Li_(2)CO_(3)into Lithiophilic Layer Via Double Replacement Reaction for Garnet Electrolyte Engineering

Garnet-type solid-state electrolytes(SSEs)are a remarkable Li-ion electrolyte for the realization of next-generation all-solid-state lithium batteries due to their excellent stability against Li metal as well as high ionic conductivities at room temperature.However,garnet electrolytes always contain undesired and hardly removable Li_(2)CO_(3) contaminations that have persistently large resistance and unstable interface contact with Li metal.This is a critical bottleneck for the practical application of garnet electrolytes.Here,we design a novel strategy to completely root out Li_(2)CO_(3) both inside and on the surface of garnet.This is achieved by a so-called double replacement reaction between Li_(2)CO_(3) and SiO_(2) during one-step hot press process for garnet electrolyte densification.It leads to in-situ transformation of LixSiOy(LSO)mostly locating around the grain boundaries of garnet.Due to the higher ion conductivity and better electrochemistry stability of LSO than Li_(2)CO_(3),the modified garnet electrolyte shows much improved electrochemical performance.Moreover,the wettability between modified garnet electrolyte and lithium metals was significantly enhanced in the absence of surface Li_(2)CO_(3).As a proof of concept,an assembled Li symmetric cell with modified garnet electrolyte displays a high critical current density(CCD)of 0.7 mA cm^(-2)and a low interfacial impedance(5Ωcm^(2))at 25℃.These results indicate that the upcycling of Li_(2)CO_(3)is a promising strategy to well-address the degradation and interfacial issue associated with garnet electrolytes.

Ordered lithium ion channels of covalent organic frameworks with lithiophilic groups enable uniform and efficient Li plating/stripping

Covalent organic frameworks(COFs)are a kind of materials composed of organic blocks linked through robust covalent bonds[1,2].In these materials,the organic blocks are integrated into symmetric structures that extend infinitely under the guidance of topological diagram,founded by periodic skeletons and nanopores[3-5].On account of the extensive building blocks,variety of topology design diagram and the variety of linkages,various COFs with different functionalities can be designed and synthesized for versatile applications.

Facile and scalable fabrication of lithiophilic Cu_(x)O enables stable lithium metal anode

Equipped with highest-energy density anode,lithium metal batteries are of great interests for the nextgeneration energy storage systems.However,the existing problems like uneven Li deposition,large volume expansion and short cycling lifespan severely retard the implementation of Li metal anodes.Herein,we report an in-situ formed Cu_(x)O nanofiber network synthesized by facile and scalable calcination process and employ as stable lithium metal anode.The CuO/Cu_(2)O ratio in the lithiophilic Cu_(x)O network can be adjusted through an optimal annealing time,thus guiding the homogeneous distribution of Li atoms and regulating the repeated plating/stripping processes.As a result,Li@Cu_(x)O 3D scaffold displays an ultralow overpotential of 7.7 mV,long cycling life for more than 1000 h in symmetric cell,and exceptional stability for LiFePO_(4)//Li full cells.This work provides guidelines for the design and fabrication of lithiophilic 3D matrixes and advances the practical use of lithium metal batteries.

In situ formation of lithiophilic Li_(22)Sn_(5) alloy and high Li-ion conductive Li_(2)S/Li_(2)Se via metal chalcogenide SnSSe for dendrite-free Li metal anodes

Lithium metal has gained extensive attention as the most ideal candidate for next-generation battery anode owing to the ultrahigh specific capacity and the lowest electrochemical potential.However,uncontrollable dendrite growth and huge volume variation extremely restrict the future deployment of lithium metal batteries.Herein,we report metal chalcogenide SnSSe with unique nanoplate stacking structure as a robust substrate for stable Li metal anode.During the initial Li plating process,lithiophilic Li_(22)Sn_(5) alloy and Li_(2)S/Li_(2)Se sites are obtained via in-situ electrochemical reaction of Li metal and SnSSe.Density functional theory(DFT)calculation demonstrates that the formed Li_(2)S/Li_(2)Se achieves low Li diffusion energy barrier,ensuring rapid Li~+migration.Li_(22)Sn_(5) alloy provides strong nucleation sites,promoting uniform Li nucleation.Furthermore,in-situ optical microscopy analysis suggests that the synthesized effect fundamentally inhibits lithium dendrite growth.Consequently,SnSSe modified Cu foil delivered an ultralow nucleation overpotential,superior cycling stability with 450 cycles(Coulombic efficiency,>98%),and excellent plating/stripping behavior over 2200 h at 0.5 mA cm^(-2).Moreover,the brilliant reversible cycles and rate capability were also realized in Li@SnSSe//LiFePO_(4)(LFP)full cell,shedding light on the feasibility of SnSSe for stable and dendrite-free lithium metal anode.