| Summary: | A binder-free aluminum (Al) electrode was fabricated by electrodeposition on a three-dimensional copper foam (<sup>3D</sup>Cu) or carbon fabric (<sup>3D</sup>CF) from a mixed-halide ionic liquid. The strong adhesion, structural stability and interface compatibility between Al and <sup>3D</sup>Cu facilitate high electrical conductivity and effectively alleviate large volume change. In a lithium-ion battery, the continuous, dendrite-free Al/<sup>3D</sup>Cu electrode enables stable and reversible reactions, which delivered a first discharge capacity of 981 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> in a coin cell at 21 mA g<sup>−1</sup>. It operates stably for at least 12 cycles with a discharge depth of about 1 mAh per cycle (7 h each) at the rate of 21 mA g<sup>−1</sup>. The cycled Al/<sup>3D</sup>Cu electrode maintains good interfacial stability and shows no shedding. In contrast to many nanostructured electrodes, the amount of Al can reach 30% of a solid Al electrode with an average conversion to Li<sub>0.71</sub>Al. The concept of porous 3D electrodes provides a good compromise between diffusion kinetics and the total amount of active metal available in a battery with alloying-type anodes and appears promising for application.
|
|---|