Metal–organic framework-derived Co_(3)O_(4)modified nickel foam-based dendrite-free anode for robust lithium metal batteries

For several decades,the promise of implementing of lithium(Li)metal anodes for Li batteries has been a"holy grail"for researchers.Herein,we have proposed a facile design of a MOF-derived Co_(3)O_(4)nanoparticles modified nickel foam,i.e.,Co_(3)O_(4)-NF,as a 3D host to achieve a uniform infusion of the molten Li.The molten Li was uniformly absorbed on the Co_(3)O_(4)-NF host only in 10 s due to its high Li lithiophilicity.The obtained Li-Co_(3)O_(4)-NF composite electrode shows high cycling stability in symmetric cells with low voltage hysteresis even at a high current density of 5 mA/cm2.The full cells of Li-Co_(3)O_(4)-NF/LiFePO_(4)can cycle for more than 500 cycles at 2C without obvious capacity decay.SEM after cycling and in situ optical microscope results suggest that the unique 3D host structure of the Li-Co_(3)O_(4)-NF anode plays key roles on suppressing the dendrite growth and decreasing the local current inhomogeneity.We believe this work might provide a new strategy for fabricating dendrite-free Li metal anodes and facilitate practical applications in Li batteries.

Prestoring lithium into SnO_(2)coated 3D carbon fiber cloth framework as dendrite-free lithium metal anode

For several decades,the promise of implementing of lithium(Li)metal anodes has been regarded as the"holy grail"for Li-based batteries.Herein,we have proposed a facile design of a carbon fiber cloth(CFC)framework coated with SnO_(2)nanoparticles through a hydrothermal process,which served as a reliable host for prestoring molten Li to produce a CFC@SnO_(2)@Li composite anode.XRD,TEM,HRTEM,XPS and different electrochemical characterizations were carried out.Owing to the synergetic effects of the 3D conductive CFC and the coated lithiophilic SnO_(2)nanoparticles,the designed CFC@SnO_(2)@Li electrodes can buffer the volume changes and reduce the local current density,thus suppress the Li dendrites during cycling.Consequently,the CFC@SnO_(2)electrodes showed a high and stable CE of 98.6%for 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 mA cm^(-2)(1 mAh cm^(-2)).What is more,at a high current density of 5 mA cm^(-2)and a high areal capacity of 5 mAh cm^(-2),the symmetric cell displayed relatively low overpotential and long cycling lifetime of 1600 h.The results confirm its great potential as lithium metal anodes in practical battery applications.