ZnF2 doped porous carbon nanofibers as separator coating for stable lithium-metal batteries.

[Display omitted] • The ZnF 2 -PCNFs interlayer was successfully prepared. • The PCNFs and ZnF 2 produced an excellent synergistic effect to suppress the Li dendrite growth. • The interlayer provided a high Li ions and electronic transmission channel. • The Li||LFP battery and Li symmetric battery with the interlayer displayed stable long cycle performance. • The interlayer could absorb lithium polysulfides and enhance the cycle stability of Li||S batteries. In this work, the ZnF 2 doped three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon nanofibers (ZnF 2 -PCNFs) were prepared via the electro-blow spinning (EBS) and carbonization strategy. And its applications as promising interlayer to hybridize with metal Li as composite anode for lithium metal batteries (LMBs) were systematically investigated and researched. The 3D interconnected porous skeleton with a high electrical conductivity and large surface area could reduce the local current density and endow the significantly enhanced interfacial compatibility between the interlayer and lithium electrode including a high lithium-loading capacity. Moreover, the lithiophilic ZnF 2 nanoparticles formed in-situ during carbonization process could provide more active sites to trigger an analogous alloying reaction with Li to guide the Li plating/stripping more homogeneous. For the assembled Li||LiFePO 4 (LFP) batteries with ZnF 2 -PCNFs, the optimal initial discharge capacity and capacity retention after 500 cycles at 1C were 142.70 mAh g−1 and 96.42%, respectively. The symmetric Li||Li batteries further showed that the ZnF 2 -PCNFs coating interlayer could hinder Li dendrite growth and improve the cycling stability. In addition, the obtained Li||S battery with ZnF 2 -PCNFs also delivered the outstanding cycle performance among the various samples based on the convenient transport channels of Li ions and the strong adsorption or captured ability of ZnF 2 -PCNFs to species. These facts demonstrated that the prepared ZnF 2 -PCNFs coating acting as interlayer between separator and anode could effectively enhance safety and electrochemical performance of LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]