Lithiophilic Sn sites on 3D Cu current collector induced uniform lithium plating/stripping

With continuously surging high-energy–density demand in lithium rechargeable batteries, soaring efforts have been spotlighted on lithium metal anode. However, its practical implementation is hindered by the uncontrolled growth of Li dendrites. Herein, 3D Cu current collector with lithiophilic Sn sites (3D [email protected]), fabricated by magnetron sputtering technique, was applied to enhance the electron conduction and lithium-ion diffusion and guide uniform Li growth. The channel in 3D [email protected] increases the specific surface area and the three-dimensional structure reduces the local current density. Moreover, the homogeneous lithiophilic Sn sites possess superior affinity with Li, which constructs as a fast electron conduction and ion diffusion network. Phase-field simulation and operando optical microscopy results demonstrate dendrite suppression and outstanding reversibility of Li. An ultralong lifespan over 3000 h was achieved at a current density of 1 mA cm−2 in Li-plated 3D [email protected] symmetric cell, which exhibits an excellent cycling performance. Furthermore, the full cell with LiCoO2 cathode displays excellent cycling performances and improved capacity retention by pairing with Li-plated 3D [email protected] anode.