Li₂O-reinforced solid electrolyte interphase on three-dimensional sponges for dendrite-free lithium deposition

Lithium (Li) metal, with ultra-high theoretical capacity and low electrochemical potential, is the ultimate anode for next-generation Li metal batteries. However, the undesirable Li dendrite growth usually results in severe safety hazards and low Coulombic efficiency. In this work, we design a three-dimensional CuO@Cu submicron wire sponge current collector with high mechanical strength SEI layer dominated by Li₂O during electrochemical reaction process. The 3D CuO@Cu current collector realizes an enhanced CE of above 91% for an ultrahigh current of 10 mA cm^-2 after 100 cycles, and yields decent cycle stability at 5 C for the full cell. The exceptional performances of CuO@Cu submicron wire sponge current collector hold promise for further development of the next-generation metal-based batteries.