OnJuly11, 2024, Professor Liu Fude's team published a research paper titled "A facile superlithiophilic 3D host with a transition metal oxide heterostructure for ultrastable zero-volume-expansion lithium metal anodes" in the international prestigiousacademic journal,Journal of Power Sources.Thisstudyaims to deal with the potential risk of ununiform lithiophilicsitedistribution.Professor Liu Fude fromInstitute of Advanced Study,Shenzhen University is the corresponding author of the paper, undergraduate studentWang Guohongfrom the Class of 2021 and doctor student Peng Gangqiang from CityUniversityof Hong Kong are co-first authors,and undergraduate students Zhang Wenhanfrom the Class of 2023 and Peng Zefanfrom the Class of 2022areco-authors of the paper, respectively.

Because of the large thermal expansion coefficient of copper oxide, cracks anddefoliationare fromed upon combustion on commercial copper foam, resulting in ununiform lithiophilic site distribution. In this study, we take use of the hydrophilicity difference between copper and copper oxide and propose another stage of zinc oxide (small thermal expansion coefficient) growth throughthesolution-combustion method on the as-formed substrates to ensure a highly lithiophilic surface. Therefore, the Li@ZnO-CuO-CF sample exhibited a uniform Li⁺flux deposition and high capacity retention when coupled withanLFP cathode.

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shenzhen Peacock Plan, and the Shenzhen University Distinguished Professor Research Startup Fund.

Link tothe paper:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2024.234941

(Graphicabstract of the research paper)