Electrospun carbon nanofibers for lithium metal anodes: Progress and perspectives

Li metal anodes(LMAs) has attracted extensive research interest because of its extremely high theoretical capacity(3860 m Ah/g) at low redox potential(-3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode). However, the extremely high chemical reactivity and the intrinsic “hostless” nature of LMAs bring about serious dendritic growth and dramatic volume change during the plating/strapping process, thus resulting in poor Coulombic efficiency, short lifespan, and severe safety concerns. Of various strategies, the construction of three-dimensional carbonaceous scaffolds for LMAs can substantially reduce the local current density,inhibit Li dendrite growth, and accommodate volume variation. Electrospinning is a simple yet effective strategy to fabricate carbon nanofibers(CNFs), which have been regarded as promising skeletons for LMAs, owing to their large surface areas, good electrical conductivity, and high porosity. In this Mini Review, we briefly introduce the fabrication of CNFs using electrospinning and the modification of CNFs. We highlight the recent advances in electrospun CNF skeletons for LMAs, including pure CNF and CNF-based composite scaffolds. Finally, we discuss the remaining challenges of electrospun CNF scaffolds for LMAs and provide possible solutions to push forward the advancement in this field.