Robust Lithium Metal Anodes Realized by Lithiophilic 3D Porous Current Collectors for Constructing High-Energy Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are attractive candidates for next-generation rechargeable batteries. With the steady development of sulfur cathodes, the recent revival of research on dendrite-free Li metal anodes offers opportunities to improve the stabilities and safety of Li–S batteries. However, the low capacities and low Li utilizations of current Li anodes hinder the improvement of the energy densities of Li–S batteries. Here, we present a facile approach to fabricate lithiophilic three-dimensional porous current collectors by modifying commercial metal foams with yolk–shell structured N-doped porous carbon nanosheets. Benefiting from the structure-based rational design, this current collector is able to generate dendrite-free Li anodes with improved Coulombic efficiencies and life spans, enabling carbon/sulfur cathodes to exhibit significantly enhanced stabilities (e.g., 78.1% of capacity retention after 1400 cycles). More importantly, we successfully constructed a high-areal-capacity Li–S full cell (9.84 mAh cm–2) with 82% Li utilization. This work provides a promising route toward high-energy-density Li–S batteries.