3D Free-Standing Carbon Nanofibers Modified by Lithiophilic Metals Enabling Dendrite-Free Anodes for Li Metal Batteries

Li metal with high-energy density is considered as the most promising anode for the next-generation rechargeable Li metal batteries; however, the growth of Li dendrites seriously hinders its practical application. Herein, 3D free-standing carbon nanofibers modified by lithiophilic metal particles (CNF/Me, Me=Sn, Fe, Co) are obtained in situ by the electrospinning method. Benefiting from the lithophilicity, the CNF/Me composite may effectively prevent the formation of Li dendrites in the Li metal batteries. The optimized CNF/Sn–Li composite electrode exhibits a stable cycle life of over 2350 h during Li plating/stripping. When matched with typical commercial LiFePO₄ (LFP) cathode, the LFP//CNF/Sn–Li full cell presents a high initial discharge specific capacity of 139 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 C, which remains at 146 mAh g⁻¹ after 400 cycles. When another state-of-the-art commercial LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM(811)) cathode is used, the assembled NCM//CNF/Sn–Li full cell shows a large initial specific discharge capacity of 206 mAh g⁻¹ at substantially enhanced 10 C, which keeps at the good capacity of 99 mAh g⁻¹ after 300 cycles. These results are greatly superior to the counterparts with Li as the anodes, indicating the great potential for practical utilization of the advanced CNF/Sn–Li electrode.