Protection of lithium anodes by fibrous silica nanospheres

Lithium metal (anode) has attracted significant attention for use in lithium-metal batteries due to its high energy density, but its practical application is still hindered by the dendrite growth during the battery charging process. Here, fibrous silica nanospheres were prepared via a direct hydrothermal reaction and coated on a separator to form a composite electrode with lithium sheets. Upon using this composite electrode in a symmetrical cell, the charge and discharge curves became more stable and the overpotential was alleviated compared with that of the bare lithium metal electrode. Meanwhile, the coulombic efficiency obtained from the Li||Cu cell remained above 95.9% after 200 cycles at 0.5 mA h cm(-2). The validity of using this composite electrode in the Li||LFP (LiFePO4, lithium iron phosphate) cells was also evaluated. The results show that the composite electrode can help restrict the growth of lithium dendrites and the accumulation of dead lithium.