ZnO–CoO Composite Nanosphere Array-Modified Carbon Cloth for Low-Voltage Hysteresis Li Metal Anodes

Li metal anodes possess the largest energy density among all anode candidates, while dendrite growth is a huge barrier for its application. Herein, carbon cloth modified with ZnO–CoO particles is synthesized as a host for Li metal anodes (Li-ZnO–CoO/CC). During plating, Li tends to first fill the inside space of the Li-ZnO–CoO/CC, while in stripping, Li will be stripped from the surface. In addition, the three-dimensional (3D) structure could enable an internal space for Li deposition and alleviate Li volume expansion. As a result, ZnO–CoO/CC has better lithiophilic properties and a lower nucleation overpotential (1.2 mV), leading to over 600 h of stable Li plating/stripping at 5 mA cm–2–1 mAh cm–2 for a voltage hysteresis of 15.5 mV. In addition, the NCM523||Li-ZnO–CoO/CC cell exhibits a capacity retention of 92.4% at 0.3 C for 300 cycles. This work creates a valid design of a double-lithiophilic spot carbon cloth-based Li metal anode.