Metal–organic framework-derived Co3O4 modified nickel foam-based dendrite-free anode for robust lithium metal batteries

For several decades, the promise of implementing of lithium (Li) metal anodes for Li batteries has been a ‘‘holy grail’’ for researchers. Herein, we have proposed a facile design of a MOF-derived Co3O4 nanoparticles modified nickel foam, i.e., Co3O4-NF, as a 3D host to achieve a uniform infusion of the molten Li. The molten Li was uniformly absorbed on the Co3O4-NF host only in 10 s due to its high Li lithiophilicity. The obtained Li-Co3O4-NF composite electrode shows high cycling stability in symmetric cells with low voltage hysteresis even at a high current density of 5 mA/cm2. The full cells of Li-Co3O4-NF/LiFePO4 can cycle for more than 500 cycles at 2C without obvious capacity decay. SEM after cycling and in situ optical microscope results suggest that the unique 3D host structure of the Li-Co3O4-NF anode plays key roles on suppressing the dendrite growth and decreasing the local current inhomogeneity. We believe this work might provide a new strategy for fabricating dendrite-free Li metal anodes and facilitate practical applications in Li batteries.