Achieving homogeneous Li deposition of 3D dendrite-free lithium metal anode through atomic layer deposition surface modification

Herein, two coating amorphous Al2O3 and Li3PO4 with different properties were firstly demonstrated for Li/ Nickel Foam (Li/NF) composite anode via atomic layer deposition (ALD) method to form a free-standing Li host material for dendrite-free Li anode. Impedance test shows that Li nucleates easily on Li3PO4 surface compared with NF and Al2O3 surface. Significantly, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation of tracing the same site shows that a large number of lithium dendrites were deposited on NF and Al2O3 surface, while no dendrite growth was observed on Li3PO4 surface. The test of cells shows that Li@Li3PO4@NF anode presents better cycling stability and rate capability. Li3PO4 reduces the nucleation overpotential and the surface energy barrier, which can increase the overall surface lithiophilic, so that the entire surface is deposited uniformly. This work promotes the uniform deposition of lithium and sheds light on the development of ultrastable lithium metal anode.