3D Hierarchical Cu Nanowire Scaffolds with Rest‐Free Symmetric Pulsed Plating/Stripping for Stable Lithium‐Metal Anodes

Stabilizing lithium‐metal anodes requires cooptimization of the current‐collector surface architecture and the deposition protocol. In this study, morphology‐controlled Cu‐based scaffolds were integrated with symmetric, rest‐free pulse‐current strategies. Three Cu nanostructures–nanoneedles (NN), 3D hierarchical nanowires (HN), and pinecone‐like nanostructures (PLN)–were fabricated by linear sweep voltammetry; CuO‐rich HN afforded the most uniform Li nucleation. Pulse durations of 100 ms, 500 ms, and 1 s were then screened; 500 ms was identified as the optimal condition, offering the best compromise between deposition uniformity and interfacial stability. Finally, three protocols were compared at 500 ms: plating/stripping (P‐S), plating/rest (P‐R), and plating/rest/stripping/rest (P‐R‐S‐R). The rest‐free P‐S protocol delivered superior durability by leveraging rapid flux reversal for dynamic surface smoothing and helping to preserve the solid–electrolyte interphases. With HN + P‐S(500 ms), symmetric cells cycled >1000 h and Li‖Cu half‐cells maintained CE ≥90% for >120 cycles, outperforming the other conditions. These results show that eliminating rest periods and rapidly alternating plating and stripping—combined with a lithiophilic 3D host—provides a simple, effective route to durable lithium‐metal anodes.