Constructing a Li-Zn - Zn lithiophilic layer by a scalable method of magnetron for a Li-B anode

Lithium metal anodes offer high theoretical capacity and low redox potential but face challenges like dendritic growth, fragile solid electrolyte interface (SEI), "dead lithium" formation, and volume expansion. Composite anodes or artificial SEIs can address these issues, but often suffer from poor lithiophilicity and mass burdens. This study presents a Li-Zn-B alloy anode combining a Li-Zn lithiophilic layer with a bulk Li-B alloy. The Li-Zn lithiophilic layer, formed by magnetron sputtering of Zinc oxide (ZnO), improves surface lithiophilicity. Symmetrical cells with this alloy cycled stably for 1300 (1 mA cm(-2), 1 mAh cm(-2)) and 550 h (2 mA cm(-2), 2 mAh cm(-2)) with minimal overpotentials. The LiBZn||NCM811 full cell showed a specific discharge capacity of 130.8 mAh/g and stable Coulombic efficiency of 98.9 % after 300 cycles.