While porous carbon is widely used as a metallic lithium host framework, the weak wettability of the carbon hinders its usage. For this purpose, herein, we functionalized the porous carbon with oxidized nitrogen groups by utilizing nitric acid. We found that the functionalized porous carbon demonstrated an enhanced wettability compared to its non-functionalized counterpart. Moreover, by functionalizing the carbon surface with oxidized nitrogen during lithium plating and stripping, catalyzed lithium nitride (Li3N) formed in the solid electrolyte interphase which effectively enhanced the surface morphology of lithium deposition. The electrochemical measurements showed a massive improvement in the capacitive behavior of the functionalized porous carbon and an enhanced electrochemistry performance in terms of cyclability and reversibility.
Li metal has been regarded as a promising anode for rechargeable batteries with high energy densities. However, the growth of Li dendrites and severe volume changes in the Li anode still hinder its practical use. Three-dimensional (3D) host structures have recently attracted significant attention as an effective strategy to resolving these problems. Herein, we demonstrate reversible Li metal storage in carbon hosts with strong Li–host interactions derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The combined experimental and computational modeling studies reveal that galvanically displaced Ag enhances Li–host interactions and the spatial distribution characteristics of Ag play a crucial role in controlling Li storage behavior and reversibility. The atomic Ag clusters trigger the outward growth of Li from the internal pores of the host and enables stable battery cycling, whereas the surface-anchored Ag nanoparticles induce uneven Li plating on the outer surface of the carbon host, resu