Lithiated NiCo₂O₄ Nanorods Anchored on 3D Nickel Foam Enable Homogeneous Li Plating/Stripping for High-Power Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anode

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the promising anode materials in the next-generation high-energy batteries, but Li dendrite growth and a big volume change during cycling result in low Coulombic efficiency (CE), short lifespan, and safety hazards, thereby impeding practical implementation of Li in rechargeable batteries. Herein, we report a highly stable and dendrite-free Li metal anode based on a three-dimensional (3D) conductive and lithiophilic scaffold comprising lithiated NiCo₂O₄ nanorods grown on nickel foam (LNCO/Ni). The nanorods grown on 3D Ni foam with a large surface area effectively reduce the averaged electrical current in the electrode, and the conformal Li₂O coating produced in situ on the lithiated NiCo₂O₄ nanorods provides the surface lithiophilicity enabling stable Li plating/stripping without Li dendrite growth even at a high current density of 5 mA cm^-2. The LNCO/Ni-Li anode shows a low voltage hysteresis of 16 mV, high CE of 98.7%, and stable cycling without obvious voltage fluctuation for over 500 cycles (1000 h) at a current density of 1 mA cm^-2. Specifically, for a scalable Li loading of 20 mA h cm^-2 on LNCO/Ni, no growth of Li dendrite and electrode thickness fluctuations are observed. The full cell consisting of the LNCO/Ni-Li anode and the LiFePO₄ cathode exhibits a high rate capability and CE as high as 99.6% for more than 160 cycles. Our study reveals a new strategy to develop stable Li-metal anodes for high-energy batteries.