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

Lithium (Li) metal anodes have attracted tremendous attention for their 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 an interconnected conductive skeleton and hierarchical porous structure for a high-performance Li metal anode. The lithiophilic nature of the 3D conductive framework enables 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 ensures excellent conductivity to withstand ultrahigh current surge and structural stability during the 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 electrolytes. The conception of the lithiophilic, conductive and porous skeleton may have a far-reaching influence on designing practical current collectors for Li metal batteries.