Lithium-coated carbon cloth for anode of Lithium rechargeable batteries with enhanced cycling stability

The realization of using lithium metal as an anode for secondary lithium batteries has been hindered by the formation of lithium dendrites during cycling, which can cause loss of active material, increased impedance, and even cell failure. In this study, lithium is coated onto a carbon cloth modified with lithiophilic ZnO coating. The Li/ZnO-coated carbon cloth is tested as a lithium metal anode and compared to lithium-metal foil. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy examinations reveal that lithium is successfully plated onto the modified carbon cloth. Galvanostatic cycling with symmetric cells and full cells containing a LiCoO ₂ cathode demonstrates that the Li/ZnO-coated carbon cloth electrode has superior cycling stability at various current densities compared to the lithium metal foil while maintaining the original electrode shape after cycling. Analysis of our electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data also confirms that the Li/ZnO-coated carbon cloth has much lower interfacial resistance than the lithium metal foil. The surfaces of the cycled electrodes are examined by scanning microscopy, which shows that the Li/ZnO-coated carbon cloth electrode is very effective for suppressing dendrite growth and dead lithium formation.