Dendrite-Free Li Metal Anodes Enabled by Micron-Scale Lithiophilic Engineering of Cu Foam Hosts for Safety Electric Vehicle Battery

Li ion batteries are widely employed in electric vehicles as well as innovative mechanical equipment due to their high energy density and long cycle life. The Li metal anode, recognized as the most ideal anode material for Li ion batteries, exhibits an extremely low redox potential and ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity. However, uncontrollable Li dendrite growth and substantial volume expansion critically impede the commercialization of Li metal anodes. Herein, Cu2O microsheets are in-situ constructed on Cu foam via a facile alkaline solution oxidation method. The high specific surface area and intrinsic lithiophilic nature of Cu2O microsheets effectively regulate Li deposition/stripping behavior. Density functional theory calculations and experimental analyses demonstrate that Cu2O enhances Li+ adsorption energy and reduces nucleation overpotential. Concurrently, the Cu@Cu2O framework serves as a robust host for Li deposition, significantly mitigating volume fluctuations. Consequently, the Cu@Cu2O||Li half-cell maintains a high coulombic efficiency over 600 stable cycles at 1 mA cm-2. Furthermore, the Cu@Cu2O-Li||LiFePO4 full cell delivers a reversible capacity of 111.6 mAh g-1 at 1 C after 200 cycles. This work provides an innovative strategy and fundamental insights for rationally designing lithiophilic frameworks with microstructures to effectively suppress dendrite growth in Li metal batteries.