A scalable slurry process to 3D lithiophilic and conductive framework for high performance lithium metal anode

Lithium (Li) metal anode has attracted tremendous attention for its high capacity. However, the uncontrollable Li dendrite formation during the plating/stripping process could lead to poor electrochemical cyclability and cause serious safety concerns. Here we report a three-dimensional (3D) lithiophilic network with interconnected conductive skeleton and hierarchical porous structure for a high-performance Li metal anode. The lithiophilic nature of the 3D conductive framework enable uniform nucleation and deposition of Li. The large abundant voids offer ample space to accommodate high area capacity Li plating. Moreover, the highly connected 3D framework ensure excellent conductivity to withstand ultrahigh current surge and structural stability during repeated Li plating/stripping process, thus ensuring a highly robust Li metal anode with high capacity, high current density and excellent cycling stability. The Galvanostatic measurements demonstrate that the 3D hybrid network electrode can achieve a Coulombic efficiency of 91% at an ultrahigh current density of 12 mA cm-2 after 70 cycles and 98.8% at 1 mA cm-2 after 500 cycles in ordinary ether-based electrolyte. The conception of lithiophilic, conductive and porous skeleton may provide a far-reaching influence in designing practical current collector to Li metal batteries.