Sn layer decorated copper mesh with superior lithiophilicity for stable lithium metal anode

Abstract Although lithium metal has been considered as the most potential anode for next-generation lithium-based batteries, the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites is still a serious challenge for the practical application. Herein, Sn layer with superior lithiophilicity was proposed to decorate copper mesh by electrodeposition as current collector, which could induce the lithium nucleation uniformly and stabilize the process of lithium plating and stripping, leading to dendrite-free lithium deposition behavior and excellent stable cycling performance. It was found that Li–Sn alloy would be formed by the pre-lithiation of Sn layers and its superior lithiophilicity was further proved by density functional theory calculation. As a consequence, the lithium nucleation overpotential of the optimal sample was only 2.8 mV, very close to Au and Ag, and the electrode could maintain a high Coulombic efficiency of 98.6% for 900 cycles. The lithium plated electrode could achieve a long lifespan of 1000 h in the symmetric cell with low-voltage hysteresis of 6.1 mV.