An Uncomplicated Strategy for a Dendritic-Free Lithium Metal Anode Using 3D Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Networks

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have garnered significant attention as the next generation of energy storage devices due to the growing demand for large-scale energy storage and electric vehicles. In this study, we utilize a self-supporting, 3D porous carbon network doped with nitrogen (NC/Cu) as the substrate for lithium, which effectively mitigates the substantial volume expansion that occurs during the lithium metal plating/stripping process. The introduction of nitrogen significantly reduces the nucleation energy of lithium, promotes homogeneous lithium deposition, and inhibits lithium dendrite formation. Leveraging these synergistic effects, the NC/Cu anode demonstrates outstanding electrochemical performance, with an impressive coulombic efficiency of 99% over extended cycles. Additionally, it exhibits voltage stability exceeding 450 h in the symmetric cell, further highlighting the practicality of a full cell constructed with the NC/Cu anode. Furthermore, this straightforward and efficient preparation method not only provides a practical approach for constructing dendrite-free Li-metal anodes but also presents a promising framework for the advancement of other high-performance rechargeable batteries.