Dispersed-laminated structure enabled the practical ultrathin lithium anode

Abstract

Lithium metal as an ideal anode with high theoretical capacity and low redox potential, faces hurdles in commercialization due to volume instability and dendrite growth during cycling. Herein, we present a three-dimensional composite Li anode (Li@CNT) with a dispersed-laminated skeleton structure, which fabricated by mechanical rolling repeatedly of conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) films and Li strips. The uniform distribution of LiC₁₂ and the cross-linked CNT enhance the uniformity of the electric field, inhibiting the formation of deep stripping pores and promoting radial deposition, which in turn mitigates volume changes and inhibits dendrite growth. The as-prepared Li@CNT anode achieves 99.7 % Coulombic efficiency and 3000-h lifespan at 1 mA cm⁻² and 1 mAh cm⁻². Furthermore, Li@CNT exhibits higher tensile strength (reached 11.3 MPa), which is beneficial for preparing the ultrathin Li strips. The ultrathin Li@CNT||LiFeO₄ full cell exhibits 94.7 % capacity after 200 cycles. This work paves the way for the efficient manufacture of high-performance Li anodes for practical applications.