Facile and scalable electrodeposition of copper current collectors for high-performance Li-metal batteries

Lithium metal is a promising anode for high-energy-density batteries owing to its large theoretical capacity and highly negative electrochemical potential. However, its commercial application is stalled by the undesired dendritic growth of lithium during cycling. Here we report a facile one-step electrodeposition process for low-cost, scalable fabrication of copper current collectors with 3-D architected porous structures composed of interconnected nanoparticles of Cu. Li anode deposited onto this porous current collector exhibits good cycling stability of > 340 h in symmetric cells without short-circuit. When tested in full cells with liquid or solid-state electrolyte, the Li anode hosted on the 3-D Cu current collector demonstrates excellent cycling performance with no dendrites formation. This process is extremely simple and scalable for mass production of dendrite-free and high capacity current collector for Li-batteries, which can be easily incorporated into the roll-to-roll manufacturing processes of battery industries.