Preparation of three-dimensional nanoporous copper foil with high specific surface area

The porous copper foil material has the advantages of ultra-light and ultra-thin, and can prevent dangers such as thermal runaway and battery fire, which could be regarded as a prospective material for lithium battery cathodes. Here, a porous copper foil with a three-dimensional (3D) pore structure was synthesized by alkali and acid etching. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements showed that the porous copper foil had a specific surface area of 13.6026 m2·g−1, a pore volume of 0.02744 cm2·g−1 and an average pore diameter of 7.4471 nm. The electrochemical behavior of copper–zinc alloys was further investigated using xylitol as a novel complexation system. The deposition process is mainly an irreversible reaction process under diffusion control and follows a 3D nucleation mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that the copper–zinc alloy crystal nucleus becomes smaller and denser with the current increasing in a certain range. This work provides a new method for the porous copper foil which possesses economical and practical value. A porous copper foil with a specific surface area of 13.6026 m2·g−1 and a pore volume of 0.02744 cm2·g−1 was prepared by alkali and acid etching using xylitol as a novel complexing system.