Self-Regulation Seaweed-Like Lithium Metal Anode Enables Stable Cycle Life of Lithium Battery

Lithium (Li) metal anodes exhibit intriguing advantages for application in high-energy-density batteries. However, the short cycle life and security issues of these anodes induced by the dendrite growth and huge volumetric change of Li severely limit their practical application. Herein, a heuristic method to fabricate a self–supported seaweed-like Li metal anode directly to improve the cycle life of Li metal batteries, is reported. The unique seaweed-like morphology of the Li anode facilitates the dispersion of the local current density, impeding the uneven growth of Li dendrites, and remits the volume expansion of the anode, leading to excellent cycle performance. The as-prepared Li metal anode exhibits excellent plating–stripping stability over 600 cycles at high current density of 2 mA cm⁻² and delivers excellent stability even with the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ cathode in the full cell. This study provides a facile strategy to prepare stable and dendrite-free Li anodes by controlling the morphology of Li metal. Thus, this study can further inspire new research ideas for preparing stable Li metal anodes.