锂金属负极亲锂骨架的研究进展

随着电动汽车和便携式电子产品的快速发展, 人们对于高比能二次电池的需求越来越迫切. 锂金属以其极高的理论比容量和极低的电极电势被视为下一代高比能电池理想负极材料之一. 但是, 锂枝晶的生长及体积膨胀等问题限制了金属锂负极的实际应用. 在金属锂负极中引入三维骨架可以有效抑制锂枝晶生长, 缓解体积膨胀. 其中亲锂骨架可以降低锂的形核能垒, 诱导锂的均匀成核, 更加有效地调控锂沉积行为. 本文结合国内外的研究进展总结了锂金属负极中亲锂骨架的研究成果. 根据亲锂材料的不同对亲锂骨架进行了分类, 总结了各类亲锂骨架在调控锂沉积行为和提高电池性能方面取得的成果, 并对其今后的研究和发展进行了展望.     

Active‐Oxygen‐Enhanced Homogeneous Nucleation of Lithium Metal on Ultrathin Layered Double Hydroxide

The development of safe lithium‐metal anodes is crucial for the next‐generation rechargeable batteries. To stabilize Li metal anodes, pre‐planting Li nucleation seeds on lithiophilic substrates is an efficient strategy to regulate initial nucleation process of Li metal. Now, activated ultrathin layered double hydroxide (U‐LDHs) are reported as a promising lithiophilic 2D material to realize the uniform deposition of Li metal. The experimental studies and DFT calculations reveal that the active oxygen on U‐LDHs provides abundant atomic‐scale active sites for Li homogeneous nucleation and plating. Moreover, the lithiophilic properties of active oxygen is also related to its coordination environments. This work opens up an opportunity to more accurate regulation and understanding of Li nucleation from atomic‐scale based on 2D ultrathin materials.     

Lithiophilic Sites in Doped Graphene Guide Uniform Lithium Nucleation for Dendrite‐Free Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal is the most promising electrode for next‐generation rechargeable batteries. However, the challenges induced by Li dendrites on a working Li metal anode hinder the practical applications of Li metal batteries. Herein, nitrogen (N) doped graphene was adopted as the Li plating matrix to regulate Li metal nucleation and suppress dendrite growth. The N‐containing functional groups, such as pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen in the N‐doped graphene, are lithiophilic, which guide the metallic Li nucleation causing the metal to distribute uniformly on the anode surface. As a result, the N‐doped graphene modified Li metal anode exhibits a dendrite‐free morphology during repeated Li plating and demonstrates a high Coulombic efficiency of 98 % for near 200 cycles.     

Sustainable and Robust Graphene Cellulose Paper Decorated with Lithiophilic Au Nanoparticles to Enable Dendrite-free and High-Power Lithium Metal Anode

Lithium metal anodes (LMAs) with high energy density have recently captured increasing attention for development of next-generation batteries. However, practical viability of LMAs is hindered by the uncontrolled Li dendrite growth and infinite dimension change. Even though constructing 3D conductive skeleton has been regarded as a reliable strategy to prepare stable and low volume stress LMAs, engineering the renewable and lithiophilic conductive scaffold is still a challenge. Herein, a robust conductive scaffold derived from renewable cellulose paper, which is coated with reduced graphene oxide and decorated with lithiophilic Au nanoparticles, is engineered for LMAs. The graphene cellulose fibres with high surface area can reduce the local current density, while the well-dispersed Au nanoparticles can serve as lithiophilic nanoseeds to lower the nucleation overpotential of Li plating. The coupled relationship can guarantee uniform Li nucleation and unique spherical Li growth into 3D carbon matrix. Moreover, the natural cellulose paper possesses outstanding mechanical strength to tolerate the volume stress. In virtue of the modulated deposition behaviour and near-zero volume change, the hybrid LMAs can achieve reversible Li plating/stripping even at an ultrahigh current density of 10 mA cm⁻² as evidenced by high Coulombic efficiency (97.2 % after 60 cycles) and ultralong lifespan (1000 cycles) together with ultralow overpotential (25 mV). Therefore, this strategy sheds light on a scalable approach to multiscale design versatile Li host, promising highly stable Li metal batteries to be feasible and practical.     

Guiding Uniform Li Plating/Stripping through Lithium–Aluminum Alloying Medium for Long‐Life Li Metal Batteries

The uncontrolled growth of Li dendrites upon cycling might result in low coulombic efficiency and severe safety hazards. Herein, a lithiophilic binary lithium–aluminum alloy layer, which was generated through an in situ electrochemical process, was utilized to guide the uniform metallic Li nucleation and growth, free from the formation of dendrites. Moreover, the formed LiAl alloy layer can function as a Li reservoir to compensate the irreversible Li loss, enabling long‐term stability. The protected Li electrode shows superior cycling over 1700 h in a Li|Li symmetric cell.     

In-Situ Constructing A Heterogeneous Layer on Lithium Metal Anodes for Dendrite-Free Lithium Deposition and High Li-ion Flux

Constructing efficient artificial solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film is extremely vital for the practical application of lithium metal batteries. Herein, a dense artificial SEI film, in which lithiophilic Zn/Li_xZn_y are uniformly but nonconsecutively dispersed in the consecutive Li⁺-conductors of Li_xSiO_y, Li₂O and LiOH, is constructed via the in situ reaction of layered zinc silicate nanosheets and Li. The consecutive Li⁺-conductors can promote the desolvation process of solvated-Li⁺ and regulate the transfer of lithium ions. The nonconsecutive lithiophilic metals are polarized by the internal electric field to boost the transfer of lithium ions, and lower the nucleation barrier. Therefore, a low polarization of ≈50 mV for 750 h at 2.0 mA cm⁻² in symmetric cells, and a high capacity retention of 99.2 % in full cells with a high lithium iron phosphate areal loading of ≈13 mg cm⁻² are achieved. This work offers new sights to develop advanced alkali metal anodes for efficient energy storage.     

Lithiophilic Sites in Doped Graphene Guide Uniform Lithium Nucleation for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal is the most promising electrode for next-generation rechargeable batteries. However, the challenges induced by Li dendrites on a working Li metal anode hinder the practical applications of Li metal batteries. Herein, nitrogen (N) doped graphene was adopted as the Li plating matrix to regulate Li metal nucleation and suppress dendrite growth. The N-containing functional groups, such as pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen in the N-doped graphene, are lithiophilic, which guide the metallic Li nucleation causing the metal to distribute uniformly on the anode surface. As a result, the N-doped graphene modified Li metal anode exhibits a dendrite-free morphology during repeated Li plating and demonstrates a high Coulombic efficiency of 98 % for near 200 cycles.     

Columnar Lithium Metal Anodes

The rechargeable lithium metal anode is of utmost importance for high‐energy‐density batteries. Regulating the deposition/dissolution characteristics of Li metal is critical in both fundamental researches and practical applications. In contrast to gray Li deposits featured with dendritic and mossy morphologies, columnar and uniform Li is herein plated on lithium‐fluoride (LiF)‐protected copper (Cu) current collectors. The electrochemical properties strongly depended on the microscale morphologies of deposited Li, which were further embodied as macroscale colors. The as‐obtained ultrathin and columnar Li anodes contributed to stable cycling in working batteries with a dendrite‐free feature. This work deepens the fundamental understanding of the role of LiF in the nucleation/growth of Li and provides emerging approaches to stabilize rechargeable Li metal anodes.     

Columnar Lithium Metal Anodes

The rechargeable lithium metal anode is of utmost importance for high‐energy‐density batteries. Regulating the deposition/dissolution characteristics of Li metal is critical in both fundamental researches and practical applications. In contrast to gray Li deposits featured with dendritic and mossy morphologies, columnar and uniform Li is herein plated on lithium‐fluoride (LiF)‐protected copper (Cu) current collectors. The electrochemical properties strongly depended on the microscale morphologies of deposited Li, which were further embodied as macroscale colors. The as‐obtained ultrathin and columnar Li anodes contributed to stable cycling in working batteries with a dendrite‐free feature. This work deepens the fundamental understanding of the role of LiF in the nucleation/growth of Li and provides emerging approaches to stabilize rechargeable Li metal anodes.     

A Full Li–S Battery with Ultralow Excessive Li Enabled via Lithiophilic and Sulfilic W2C Modulation

The practical application of Li–S batteries demands low cell balance (Li_capacity/S_capacity), which involves uniform Li growth, restrained shuttle effect, and fast redox reaction kinetics of S species simultaneously. Herein, with the aid of W₂C nanocrystals, a freestanding 3D current collector is applied as both Li and S hosts owing to its lithiophilic and sulfilic property. On the one hand, the highly conductive W₂C can reduce Li nucleation overpotentials, thus guiding uniform Li nucleation and deposition to suppress Li dendrite growth. On the other hand, the polar W₂C with catalytic effect can enhance the chemisorption affinity to lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and guarantee fast redox kinetics to restrain S species in cathode region and promote the utilization of S. Surprisingly, a full Li–S battery with ultralow cell balance of 1.5:1 and high sulfur loading of 6.06 mg cm⁻² shows obvious redox plateaus of S and maintains high reversible specific capacity of 1020 mAh g⁻¹ (6.2 mAh cm⁻²) after 200 cycles. This work may shed new sights on the facile design of full Li–S battery with low excessive Li supply.     

石墨烯负载的氧配位钴单原子稳定金属锂负极

Lithium (Li)-based batteries are the dominant energy source for consumer electronics, grid storage, and electrified transportation. However, the development of batteries based on graphite anodes is hindered by their limited energy density. With its ultrahigh theoretical capacity (3860 mAh∙g⁻¹), low redox potential (−3.04 V), and satisfactorily low density (0.54 g∙cm⁻³), Li metal is the most promising anode for next-generation high-energy-density batteries. Unfortunately, the limited cycling life and safety issues raised by dendrite growth, unstable solid electrolyte interphase, and "dead Li" have inhibited their practical use. An effective strategy is to develop a suitable lithiophilic matrix for regulating initial Li nucleation behavior and controlling subsequent Li growth. Herein, single-atom cobalt coordinated to oxygen sites on graphene (Co-O-G SA) is demonstrated as a Li plating substrate to efficiently regulate Li metal nucleation and growth. Owing to its dense and more uniform lithiophilic sites than single-atom cobalt coordinated to nitrogen sites on graphene (Co-N-G SA), high electronic conductivity, and high specific surface area (519 m²∙g⁻¹), Co-O-G SA could significantly reduce the local current density and promote the reversibility of Li plating and stripping. As a result, the Co-O-G SA based Li anodes exhibited a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.9% at a current density of 1 mA∙cm⁻² with a capacity of 1 mAh∙cm⁻², and excellent rate capability (high current density of 8 mA∙cm⁻²). Even at a high plating capacity of 6 mAh∙cm⁻², the Co-O-G SA electrode could stably cycle for an ultralong lifespan of 1300 h. In the symmetric battery, the Co-O-G SA based Li anode (Co-O-G SA/Li) possessed a stable voltage profile of 18 mV for 780 h at 1 mA∙cm⁻², and even at a high current density of 3 mA∙cm⁻², its overpotential maintained a small hysteresis of approximately 24 mV for > 550 h. Density functional theory calculations showed that the surface of Co-O-G SA had a stronger interaction with Li atoms with a larger binding energy, −3.1 eV, than that of Co-N-G SA (−2.5 eV), leading to a uniform distribution of metallic Li on the Co-O-G SA surface. More importantly, when matched with a sulfur cathode, the resulting Co-O-G SA/lithium sulfur full batteries exhibited a high capacity of 1002 mAh∙g⁻¹, improved kinetics with a small polarization of 191 mV, and an ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.036% per cycle for 1000 cycles at 0.5C (1C = 1675 mA∙g⁻¹) with a steady Coulombic efficiency of nearly 100%. Therefore, this work provides novel insights into the coordination environment of single atoms for the chemistry of Li metal anodes for high-energy-density batteries.     

细菌纤维素衍生的三维碳集流体用于无枝晶的锂金属负极

锂金属是下一代高能量密度电池的关键负极,然而其实用化面临着一系列问题,主要包括循环过程中体积变化大、枝晶生长等。使用三维集流体是解决这些问题的有效方法,然而现有大多数三维集流体存在重量大、体积大、表面亲锂性差、成本高等问题。针对上述问题,本文以低成本的细菌纤维素为前驱体,通过直接碳化制备出具有连通网络的轻质三维碳集流体,其表面均匀分布的含氧官能团可以促进锂离子的均匀成核和沉积,有效抑制了枝晶生长。值得注意的是,该集流体的面密度仅为0.32 mg·cm^?2,在3 mAh·cm^?2比容量的锂金属负极中质量占比仅为28.8%。电化学测试结果表明,该集流体在3 mA·cm^?2的高电流密度或4 mAh·cm^?2的高循环容量的工作条件下,稳定循环超过150次,并且在对称电池或与LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05匹配的全电池中也表现出良好的电化学性能。     

Constructing Co3O4 Nanowires on Carbon Fiber Film as a Lithiophilic Host for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium metal has been considered as the most promising anode electrode for substantially improving the energy density of next‐generation energy storage devices. However, uncontrollable lithium dendrite growth, an unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI), and infinite volume variation severely shortens its service lifespan and causes safety hazards, thus hindering the practical application of lithium metal electrodes. Here, carbon fiber film (CFF) modified by lithiophilic Co₃O₄ nanowires (denoted as Co₃O₄ Nws) was proposed as a matrix for prestoring lithium metal through a thermal infusion method. The homogeneous needle‐like Co₃O₄ nanowires can effectively promote molten lithium to infiltrate into the CFF skeleton. The post‐formed Co?Li₂O nanowires produced by the reaction of Co₃O₄ Nws and molten lithium can homogeneously distribute lithium ions flux and efficaciously increase the adsorption energy with lithium ions proved by density functional theory (DFT) calculation, boosting a uniform lithium deposition without dendrite growth. Therefore, the obtained composite anode (denoted as CFF/Co?Li₂O@Li) exhibits superior electrochemical performance with high stripping/plating capacities of 3 mAh cm^?2 and 5 mAh cm^?2 over long‐term cycles in symmetrical batteries. Moreover, in comparison with bare lithium anode, superior Coulombic efficiencies coupled with copper collector and full battery behaviors paired with LiFePO₄ cathode are achieved when CFF/Co?Li₂O@Li composite anode was employed.     

Functional lithiophilic polymer modified separator for dendrite-free and pulverization-free lithium metal batteries

Severe performance drop and fire risk due to the uneven lithium(Li) dendrite formation and growth during charge/discharge process has been considered as the major obstacle to the practical application of Li metal batteries.So inhibiting dendrite growth and producing a stable and robust solid electrolyte interface(SEI) layer are essential to enable the use of Li metal anodes.In this work,a functional lithiophilic polymer composed of chitosan(CTS),polyethylene oxide(PEO),and poly(triethylene glycol dimethacrylate)(PTEGDMA),was homogeneously deposited on a commercial Celgard separator by combining electrospraying and polymer photopolymerization techniques.The lithiophilic environment offered by the CTS-PEO-PTEGDMA layer enables uniform Li deposition and facilitates the formation of a robust homogeneous SEI layer,thus prevent the formation and growth of Li dendrites.As a result,both Li/Li symmetric cells and LiFePO4/Li full cells deliver significantly enhanced electrochemical performance and cycle life.Even after 1000 cycles,the specific capacity of the modified full cell could be maintained at65.8 mAh g^-1, twice which of the unmodified cell(32.8 mAh g^-1).The long-term cycling stability in Li/Li symmetric cells,dendrite-free anodes in SEM images and XPS analysis suggest that the pulverization of the Li anode was effectively suppressed by the lithiophilic polymer layer.     

Temperature‐Dependent Nucleation and Growth of Dendrite‐Free Lithium Metal Anodes

It is essential to develop a facile and effective method to enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium metal anodes for building high‐energy‐density Li‐metal based batteries. Herein, we explored the temperature‐dependent Li nucleation and growth behavior and constructed a dendrite‐free Li metal anode by elevating temperature from room temperature (20 °C) to 60 °C. A series of ex situ and in situ microscopy investigations demonstrate that increasing Li deposition temperature results in large nuclei size, low nucleation density, and compact growth of Li metal. We reveal that the enhanced lithiophilicity and the increased Li‐ion diffusion coefficient in aprotic electrolytes at high temperature are essential factors contributing to the dendrite‐free Li growth behavior. As anodes in both half cells and full cells, the compact deposited Li with minimized specific surface area delivered high Coulombic efficiencies and long cycling stability at 60 °C.     

Graphene-Enabled Electric-Field Regulation and Ionic Redistribution Around Lithiophilic Aurum Nanoparticles Toward a Dendrite-Free and 2000-Cycle-Life Lithium Metal Battery

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have attracted extensive attention owing to their high energy density. However, the uncontrolled volume changes and serious dendrite growth of the Li metal anode have hindered their commercialization. Herein, a three-dimensional Cu foam decorated with Au nanoparticles and conformal graphene layer was designed to tune the Li plating/stripping behaviors. The 3D−Cu conductive host anchored by lithiophilic Au nanoparticles can effectively alleviate the volume expansion caused by the continuous plating/stripping of Li and reduce the nucleation energy barrier. Notably, the conductive graphene not only facilitates the transfer of electrons, but also acts as an ionic rectifier, thereby avoiding the aggregation of local current density and Li⁺ ions around Au nanoparticles and enabling the uniform Li⁺ flux. As a result, the G−Au@3D−Cu/Li anode ensures the non-dendritic and homogeneous Li⁺ plating/stripping. Electrochemical results show that the symmetric G−Au@3D−Cu/Li cell delivers a low voltage hysteresis of 110 mV after 1000 h at 1 mA cm⁻². Matched with a layered LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ cathode, the NCM622||G−Au@3D−Cu/Li full cell exhibits a long cycle life of 2000 cycles and an ultra-low capacity decay rate (0.01 % per cycle).     

轻质三维多孔泡沫铝用作高性能锂金属负极骨架

将轻质、三维多孔且亲锂的泡沫铝用作锂(Li)金属负极骨架,通过简单的机械挤压方法,将泡沫铝与金属Li复合,制得Al@Li复合负极。泡沫铝自身的高亲锂性,能够为Li金属成核提供丰富且均匀的活性位点,诱导Li在泡沫铝内部的快速成核和均匀电沉积。同时,泡沫铝的三维多孔结构,可以容纳Li金属负极在充放电过程中的巨大体积应变,降低局部电流密度,从而有效抑制Li枝晶的生长。因此,与纯Li金属负极相比,所获得的Al@Li复合负极在对称电池和LiFePO₄||Al@Li半电池中,均表现出了更加优异的循环稳定性。     

N-Doped Graphdiyne Coating for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Batteries

Nonuniform nucleation is one of the major reasons for the dendric growth of metallic lithium, which leads to intractable problems in the efficiency, reversibility, and safety in Li-based batteries. To improve the deposition of metallic Li on Cu substrates, herein, a freestanding current collector (NGDY@CuNW) is formed by coating pyridinic nitrogen-doped graphdiyne (NGDY) nanofilms on 3D Cu nanowires (CuNWs). Theoretical predictions reveal that the introduction of nitrogen atoms in the 2D GDY can enhance the binding energy between the Li atom and GDY, therefore improving the lithiophilicity on the surface for uniform lithium nucleation and deposition. Accordingly, the deposited metallic Li on the NGDY@CuNW electrode exhibits a dendrite-free morphology, resulting in significant improvements in terms of the reversibility with a high coulombic efficiency (CE) and a long lifespan at high current density. Our research provides an efficient method to control the surface property of Cu, which also will be instructive for other metal batteries.     

轻质三维多孔泡沫铝用作高性能锂金属负极骨架

将轻质、三维多孔且亲锂的泡沫铝用作锂(Li)金属负极骨架,通过简单的机械挤压方法,将泡沫铝与金属 Li复合,制得Al@Li复合负极。泡沫铝自身的高亲锂性,能够为Li金属成核提供丰富且均匀的活性位点,诱导Li在泡沫铝内部的快速成核和均匀电沉积。同时,泡沫铝的三维多孔结构,可以容纳Li金属负极在充放电过程中的巨大体积应变,降低局部电流密度,从而有效抑制Li枝晶的生长。因此,与纯Li金属负极相比,所获得的Al@Li复合负极在对称电池和LiFePO₄||Al@Li半电池中,均表现出了更加优异的循环稳定性。     

锂金属负极的挑战与改善策略研究进展

锂金属由于其高比容量和低电极电势等优点被认为是下一代高比能量电池体系中最有潜力的负极材料。然而由于锂金属的高活性,锂负极在循环过程中会产生大量的枝晶,导致SEI(solid-electrolyte interphase)破裂,并且枝晶增加了电极与电解液的接触面积,使得副反应进一步增加。此外,脱落的枝晶形成死锂,从而降低电池的充放电库仑效率。并且不可控的锂枝晶持续生长会刺穿隔膜引发电池短路,伴随着电池热失控等安全问题。本综述基于锂负极存在的主要挑战,结合理解锂枝晶的成核生长模型等机理总结并深度分析近些年来在液态和固态电解质体系中改善锂金属负极的主要策略及其作用机理,为促进高比能量锂金属电池的应用提供借鉴参考作用。