Effect of conductor materials in lithium composite anode on plating and stripping of lithium

Due to its high capacity and low density, lithium metal is considered as one of the most promising anodes for next-generation lithium batteries. However, the problems of dendrite and volume change are the main obstacles to limit its further development. Therefore, it is of great significance to realize the stable plating and stripping of lithium metal. The stability of lithium metal can be improved by compositing lithium with conductor materials, but the effect of conductor materials on lithium composite anode needs to be further studied. Herein, ionic or electronic conductor powders are introduced into the interior of lithium metal by hot-melt mixed coating method; Li/Cu, Li/Zn, and Li/Li3N composite anodes are prepared; and their electrochemical performances in solid and liquid batteries are studied. The results show that plating and stripping of lithium in composite anodes will take place preferentially around electronic or ionic conductor, rather than around lithium itself. For liquid batteries, the introduction of electronic conductor in lithium composite anode will make the electric field distribution more uniform and thus make the lithium deposition more stable, while the introduction of ionic conductor in composite anodes can improve the electrochemical stability of composite anodes in solid-state batteries. The capacity of the Li/Cu-LFP battery was 42.5 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 10 °C, corresponding to the 77% retention of its initial capacity.