Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Fibers Embedded with Zincophilic Cu Nanoboxes for Stable Zn‐Metal Anodes

The practical application of Zn-metal anodes (ZMAs) is mainly impeded by the limited lifespan and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) resulting from the Zn dendrite growth and side reactions. Herein, a 3D multifunctional host consisting of N-doped carbon fibers embedded with Cu nanoboxes (denoted as Cu NBs@NCFs) is rationally designed and developed for stable ZMAs. The 3D macroporous configuration and hollow structure can lower the local current density and alleviate the large volume change during the repeated cycling processes. Furthermore, zincophilic Cu and in-situ-formed Cu-Zn alloy can act as homogeneous nucleation sites to minimize the Zn nucleation overpotential, further guiding uniform and dense Zn…