Double three-dimensional structures enabled spherical lithium deposition for advanced lithium metal anode

Abstract

Spherical lithium has gradually attracted much attention due to its smooth surface and small specific surface area, which can effectively avoid serious safety hazards and guarantee higher Coulombic efficiency and longer cycle life. However, how to obtain spherical lithium in lithium metal anodes is still challenging for researchers. In this paper, spherical lithium deposition was realized in a facile-designed double three-dimensional (3D) structure, which was constructed by petaloid metal–organic framework derivatives and 3D nickel foam. Specifically, the prepared composite lithium metal anode was shown to cycle stably for 1600 h at an extremely high areal capacity (6 mAh cm⁻²) and current density (6 mA cm⁻²). We believe that this double 3D design provides a new strategy for achieving spherical lithium deposition and fabricating dendrite-free lithium anodes in the future.