Rechargeable Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have attracted great attention
for their widespread applications in various portable electronics
and electric vehicles (EVs) [1e3]. One of the key safety
issues in LIBs for EVs, however, is the dendritic lithium growth on
the conventional graphite anode surface at high charging current,
owing to the relatively low Liþ insertion potential of carbonous
materials [4e7]. Moreover, Li-ion battery technology needs to be
improved to generate more power, enjoy longer life cycle and less
production cost [4,5]. Consequently, much attention has been
focused on the development of new anode materials recently