Clusters of CuO nanorods arrays for stable lithium metal anode

Lithium metal anode has attracted wide attention due to the high specific capacity. Unfortunately, many instabilities in cycling such as the growth of dendrites and volume change have seriously hindered the development of lithium metal anode. We demonstrated a promising structure consisting of clusters of CuO nanorods (CCNs) arrays directly grown on Cu foil is prepared by a simple ice-bath solution method. The structure of clusters of CuO nanorods promotes uniform deposition of lithium ions and accommodates lithium availably, therefore restraining the dendrites. An average Coulombic efficiency of 98% can be maintained for 230 cycles at 0.5 mA cm(-2). The ultralong cycling stability over 1000 h at 0.5 mA cm(-2) can be reached in the symmetric cell. The excellent electrochemical performance of Cu foil with CCNs arrays demonstrates the importance of rational structural design of the lithium framework to stabilize lithium metal anode.