Three-dimensional porous framework constructed by hybrid of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanocoils for stable lithium metal anode

Lithium metal is regarded as the most potential anode material for its high specific capacity, but lithium dendrite growth and volume expansion problems limit its application. Herein, a simple vacuum filtration process is used to synthesize a porous network composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanocoils (CNCs) as the 3D lithium metal host. The high specific surface area and the good lithiophilicity of CNC@CNT structure promote the uniform lithium deposition and inhibit the formation of lithium dendrites. The introduction of super-elastic CNCs effectively prevents the agglomeration of CNTs, and provides fast transport paths and abundant space for lithium ions. Meanwhile, it releases partial stress during cycling. The electrode presents a low overpotential of 11.8 mV at 0.5 mA cm −2 , and the average coulombic efficiency is 97.3% under nearly 200 long-time cycles, which provides a good idea for the improvement of 3D host for lithium metal anode. Graphical abstract