Design and Research on Nickel‐Based Metal–Organic Framework‐Modified Carbon Cloth as Three‐Dimensional Current Collector

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have garnered significant attention in next‐generation energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density, cost‐effectiveness and environmental friendliness. To address the critical challenges faced by lithium metal anodes during cycling‐specifically lithium dendrite growth, substantial volume expansion, and excessive electrolyte consumption. This study designs and constructs a composite 3D current collector by uniformly growing nickel‐based metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets, namely nickel naphthalene‐dicarboxylate (Ni‐NDC), onto flexible carbon cloth (CC). The incorporation of Ni‐NDC not only substantially increases the specific surface area of the carbon cloth but also facilitates uniform and dense lithium deposition by effectively adsorbing lithium‐ion through its abundant nickel‐containing lithiophilic groups, which significantly lowers the nucleation barrier. This synergistic effect effectively suppresses dendrite formation, mitigates volume expansion during the plating process, and minimizes the parasitic consumption of the electrolyte. Electrochemical performance tests indicate that the CC@Ni‐NDC current collector exhibits superior cycling stability and rate capability. Furthermore, when the CC@Ni‐NDC@Li anode is applied to a Li–S full cell, it maintains a high discharge capacity of 631.5 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles at 1 C. This study provides an effective materials design strategy and theoretical reference for the development of highly stable and long‐life practical lithium metal batteries.