Artificial Graphite Paper as a Corrosion‐Resistant Current Collector for Long‐Life Lithium Metal Batteries

The employment of ultra‐thin lithium metal anode with high loading cathode is the key to realizing high‐energy‐density rechargeable lithium batteries. Ultra‐thin lithium foils are routinely loaded on a copper substrate in batteries, however, the close contact of these two metals causes galvanic corrosion in the presence of electrolyte, which results in irreversible consumption of lithium and decomposition of electrolyte. Herein, a lightweight and highly conductive flexible graphite paper (GP) is applied to replace Cu foil as the current collector for lithium metal anode. It is demonstrated that the application of GP prevents galvanic corrosion and maintains intimate and steady contact between Li foil and GP current collector during cycling, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of the battery. A 1.08 Ah pouch cell assembled with Li@GP anode and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode exhibits a long lifetime of 240 cycles with a capacity retention of 91.6% under limited Li, high cathode loading and lean electrolyte conditions. A novel artificial graphite paper with lightweight, high conductivity, and flexibility is proposed as a current collector for lithium metal anode. Compared with the copper foil current collector, graphite paper avoids the problem of galvanic corrosion and maintains good electrical contact with Li foil during cycling, enabling pouch cells to achieve longer cycle life.