Ordered mesoporous nanofibers mimicking vascular bundles for lithium metal batteries

ABSTRACT Hierarchical self-assembly with long-range order above centimeters widely exists in nature. Mimicking similar structures to promote reaction kinetics of electrochemical energy devices is of immense interest, yet remains challenging. Here, we report a bottom-up self-assembly approach to constructing ordered mesoporous nanofibers with a structure resembling vascular bundles via electrospinning. The synthesis involves self-assembling polystyrene (PS) homopolymer, amphiphilic diblock copolymer, and precursors into supramolecular micelles. Elongational dynamics of viscoelastic micelle solution together with fast solvent evaporation during electrospinning cause simultaneous close packing and uniaxial stretching of micelles, consequently producing polymer nanofibers consisting of oriented micelles. The method is versatile for the fabrication of large-scale ordered mesoporous nanofibers with adjustable pore diameter and various compositions such as carbon, SiO2, TiO2 and WO3. The aligned longitudinal mesopores connected side-by-side by tiny pores offer highly exposed active sites and expedite electron/ion transport. The assembled electrodes deliver outstanding performance for lithium metal batteries.