Lithiated Graphene Current Collector for Stable Anode-Free and Anode-Less Lithium Metal Batteries

Anode-free and anode-less lithium (Li) metal batteries provide cell safety and afford maximum energy density. However, their practical applications are hampered by poor cycling performances. In this study, a composite of LiC₆ phase in highly reduced graphene (HrGO, LC-HrGO) is proposed as a current collector for Li metal plating. LC-HrGO provided homogenous plating sites and favorable conductivity, which facilitated Li metal plating with reduced nucleation barrier. The LiC₆ in composite is not easily delithiated, and the HrGO is not easily lithiated. The obtained anode-free batteries based on the LC-HrGO current collector showed a capacity retention of 60 % after 100 cycles, and the corresponding anode-less batteries indicated a stable specific capacity of 134.5 mAh g⁻¹ after 250 cycles and a remarkable rate capacity of 130.1 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 C. The work provides valuable concepts for fabricating promising current collectors towards Li metal batteries and beyond for high-level services.