Constructing porous nickel-zinc alloy layer on nickel foam for dendritic-free lithium metal anode

The uncontrollable growth of lithium (Li) dendrites and continuous accumulation of “dead Li” directly lead to poor electrochemical performance concominantly with serious safety hazards of Li metal batteries (LMBs). Herein, a porous NiZn alloy lithiophilic layer (P-NiZn) is fabricated on the surface of nickel foam (NF), P-NiZn@NF, by electrodeposition, heating and subsequent selective etching. The NiZn alloy with excellent lithiophilicity contributes to the lower Li nucleation barrier and uniform Li deposition, while its porous structure enables reduced local current density that is beneficial to inhibit the growth of Li dendrites. Accordingly, the symmetrical cells can run stably for 2500 h at 0.5 mA cm−2, and the full-cell with LiFePO4 electrode achieves an excellent capacity retention of 86% over 600 cycles at 2 C with a high Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.98%. This work provides a promising idea for the surface modification of 3D current collectors for Li metal anodes which enlightens the construction of high-energy, stable, and safe LMBs.