Design and application of copper/lithium composite anodes for advanced lithium metal batteries

Lithium (Li) is a promising candidate for next-generation battery anode due to its high theoretical specific capacity and low reduction potential. However, safety issues derived from the uncontrolled growth of Li dendrite and huge volume change of Li hinder its practical application. Constructing dendrite-free composite Li anodes can significantly alleviate the above problems. Copper (Cu)-based materials have been widely used as substrates of the composite electrodes due to their chemical stability, excellent conductivity, and good mechanical strength. Copper/lithium (Cu/Li) composite anodes significantly regulate the local current density and decrease Li nucleation overpotential, realizing the uniform and dendrite-free Li deposition. In this review, Cu/Li composite methods including electrodeposition, melting infusion, and mechanical rolling are systematically summarized and discussed. Additionally, design strategies of Cu-based current collectors for high performance Cu/Li composite anodes are illustrated. General challenges and future development for Cu/Li composite anodes are presented and postulated. We hope that this review can provide a comprehensive understanding of Cu/Li composite methods of the latest development of Li metal anode and stimulate more research in the future. Graphical abstract