Solid protonic electrolytes are a promising avenue for advanced solid-state proton batteries, offering enhanced safety, long-term cycling stability, and high energy density. However, achieving high proton conductivity under ambient conditions remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we demonstrate a highly robust zwitterionic vinylene-linked covalent organic framework (COF) engineered with sulfobetaine functionalities that promote efficient proton dissociation and migration, enabling superior proton conduction under ambient conditions and setting a new benchmark in the COF field. The solid protonic electrolyte comprising phosphoric acid-modified zwitterionic COFs achieved the highest proton conductivity (5.34×10-2 Scm-1) under ambient conditions among all reported COF-based protonic electrolytes, along with incredible long-term stability. Furthermore, solid-state proton batteries assembled using the solid electrolyte delivered a record-high specific capacity (108.5mAh g-1 at 1.0A g-1), good cycling durability (90% capacity retention after 2000 charge-discharge cycles at 1.0 A g-1), and excellent rate capability. This study presents a viable and effective strategy for constructing high-performance COF-based protonic electrolytes tailored for advanced solid-state proton battery technologies.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) batteries are regarded as promising energy storage technology due to their high energy density, low cost, and high safety. However, dendrite growth in sodium anodes and dissolution shuttling effects in sulfur cathodes hinder their practical application. Here, we designed and achieved a solvation structure dominated by tridentate coordination by regulating the solvation configuration between sodium ions and diglyme through solvation strategies. The results indicate that the tridentate solvation structure not only reduces the dissolution shuttling of sodium polysulfide but also promotes the formation of a stable double-layer inorganic electrolyte interface on the surface of the Na anode. The Na-SPAN batteries achieved a high capacity retention of 97.46% after 1138 cycles and a calendar life exceeding 1 year at room temperature. Moreover, assembled Na-SPAN batteries maintained 94.7% of their initial capacity after 445 cycles at 50°C. This work provides a well-designed electrolyte principle for constructing a low-cost, long-cycle-life room-temperature Na-SPAN battery.

Zinc-bromine (Zn-Br2) hybrid flow batteries offer nonflammable aqueous electrolytes with earth-abundant reactants but remain constrained by nonuniform Zn deposition, parasitic interfacial reactions, and efficiency losses at practical rates. Herein, we address these limitations by introducing a dual-additive anolyte that couples a chelating ligand (EDTA2-) with a pH-buffering anion (acetate from NH4OAc) to comodulate Zn2+ solvation and interfacial acidity. Results demonstrate that this simple, scalable strategy using chelation-buffer coadditives can stabilize Zn electrodeposition, enabling durable, high-rate operation in hybrid flow batteries. Zn K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray tomographic microscopy (XTM) reveal that Zn plating modifies the primary Zn-O shell (coordination number and bond distance), coinciding with the emergence of compact, laterally continuous Zn networks within three-dimensional carbon felt (CF). These structural evolutions correlate with reduced iR-corrected overpotentials and high Coulombic efficiency (CE ≥ 95%) during rate tests up to 200 mA cm-2. At a practical areal capacity of 35 mAh cm-2, the dual-additive electrolyte sustains superior capacity retention over ≥300 cycles compared with single-additive and additive-free controls. By quantitatively linking coordination restructuring to 3D deposit connectivity and cell-level metrics (CE, VE, EE), this work establishes a mechanistic basis for electrolyte design in mildly acidic Zn-Br2 systems.

Integrating lithium‑rich/nickel-rich high‑voltage cathodes with polycaprolactone‑based all‑solid‑state polymer electrolytes markedly boosts the safety and specific energy of all-solid‑state batteries. However, interfacial incompatibility at high voltages poses a significant challenge for polycaprolactone (PCL)-based all-solid-state polymer electrolytes (SPEs), therefore limiting their pairing in high-voltage cathodes. Herein, YF3-improved PCL SPEs are designed for 4.5 V-, and 4.8 V-class all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs). In modified SPEs, PCL carbonyl groups donate electron density to YF3, weakening Li+-polymer coordination and thus promoting ionic conductivity, while YF3 with Lewis-acid properties simultaneously improves anti-oxidation capability. The optimized membrane delivers 5.1 V oxidative stability, high thermal robustness, and forms stable cathodic and anodic interphases. Remarkably, Ni-rich (NCM9055) cells with the optimized electrolyte achieve 500 cycles at 4.5 V with 69.8% capacity retention, while Li-rich cells sustain 200 cycles at 4.8 V - performance that was previously difficult to achieve. This YF3/PCL design validates a practical route and offers a unique dual-interface stabilization strategy for high-voltage ASSLMBs.

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) require electrolytes with high ionic conductivity, stability, and mechanical robustness to mitigate dendrite growth, unstable SEI formation, and safety issues associated with liquid electrolytes. Here, we report quasi-solid-state composite polymer electrolytes (QSCPEs) fabricated by incorporating single-ion-conducting halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) into a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix. Increasing the HNT content induces controllable surface morphologies with interconnected pores, which facilitate Li+ transport and markedly enhance ionic conductivity while maintaining mechanically robust, dimensionally stable, and flexible films with excellent thermal stability. The optimized QSCPE-70 (containing 70 wt % HNT relative to TPU) delivers a high ionic conductivity of 1.04 × 10-3 S cm-1 at room temperature, a Li+ transference number of 0.767, and stable cycling for over 2500 h in Li|Li symmetric cells. A full cell employing this electrolyte exhibits significant capacity retention and rate capability, attributed to the promoted Li+ transport. The corresponding pouch cell preserves both electrochemical performance and structural integrity, even under mechanical deformation. These results demonstrate that compositional tuning of QSCPEs enables simultaneous control over morphology, selective Li-ion transport, and flexibility, providing a practical pathway toward safe, high-performance, and flexible LMBs.

Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs), particularly in anode-less configurations, are severely hindered by catastrophic electrochemomechanical degradation at the Li anode-solid electrolyte interface caused by infinite anode volume fluctuations during Li plating/stripping reaction, posing significant challenges to its cycling reversibility. Here, we report a zero-volume-change cellular void-structured host that changes the solid-state Li metal anode reaction mechanism, from infinite volume-changing Li deposition/dissolution at the anode-solid electrolyte interface to Li deposition/dissolution inside the voids of the host with zero-volume-changing feature. Operando pressure/microscopy characterization verifies that the zero-volume-change cellular void host architecture terminates the critical Li anode volume-change-induced solid-solid interface delamination failure that has constrained SSLMB development for decades, thus achieving a record-breaking Coulombic efficiency (≥99.9%) that surpasses prior benchmarks by 1-3 orders of magnitude. Meanwhile, anode-less SSLMBs using the zero-volume-change host with a negative:positive capacity ratio of 0 can realize 95.5% capacity retention after 400 cycles at low stack pressure (440 kPa), representing one of the best SSLMB performances so far. By resolving the root cause of the Li anode volume-change-driven fluctuated interface contact failure mechanism in the SSLMB, this work provides an anode design strategy for cycling-stable solid-state lithium metal battery construction.

Porous carbons (YZPCs) with self-doped heteroatoms (oxygen and nitrogen) were successfully prepared from mixed Chinese herbal medicinal residues via a simple KOH activation process under a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting carbon exhibits a high specific surface area of 3359 m2·g-1 and a hierarchical pore structure, which together provide abundant active sites for charge storage and facilitate rapid ion transport. Moreover, the substantial pseudocapacitance derived from the self-doped heteroatoms (N: 1.89 at%; O: 16.11 at%) further enhances the overall specific capacitance. The corresponding electrode delivers a specific capacitance of 344 F·g-1 at 1 A·g-1, 270 F·g-1 at 10 A·g-1, along with excellent cycling stability (96% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 10 A·g-1). Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of the proposed method as an effective and low-cost approach to fabricate high-performance supercapacitors.

Highly porous SnO2-SiO2 composite microspheres with interconnected pores for long-cycle-life lithium-Iion batteries.

Interfacial-stabilized quasi-solid-state Li-metal batteries enabled by electrospun eLATP nanosheets composite electrolyte.

Chemical polishing and surface reconstruction of zinc metal anode with lactic acid for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Working memory capacity and lexical retention in AI-assisted vocabulary learning as predictors of EFL reading comprehension.

Synergistic crystallographic orientation and solvation structure engineering construct stable zinc anodes for durable aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

An innovative dehydrofluorinated composite gel electrolyte for enhanced solid-state batteries.

Fe and Ti co-doped LiCoPO4 as High-voltage Cathode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries.

ABSTRACT Aqueous iron‐sulfur (Fe//S) batteries are a promising next‐generation energy storage technology due to their high theoretical capacity and shuttling‐free mechanism. However, their development is hindered by dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the anode, and low discharge voltage. Here, we address these challenges by pre‐constructing a polymer‑metal hybrid interphase on the Fe anode (polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)‐M@Fe, M = Bi, Pb, Cu) to stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface, while employing an electrolyte‐decoupling strategy (FeSO 4 /CuSO 4 ) to maximize the device discharge voltage through tailoring the charge carriers at the S cathode. Combining theoretical calculations with operando spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the outer PVDF layer effectively shields Fe anode from the bulk electrolyte, suppressing HER; while the inner electron‐conductive metal layer simultaneously homogenizes the electric field and increases nucleation sites, enabling dendrite‐free and highly reversible Fe deposition. This synergistic interface regulation allows a PVDF‐Bi@Fe symmetric cell to cycle stably for 412 h at 1 mA cm −2 . The decoupled PVDF‐Bi@Fe//S@activated carbon cell achieves a maximum discharge voltage of 0.85 V (2.4 times higher than that of the conventional cell), a large capacity of 1976 mAh g Sulfur −1 at a high rate of 2 A g Sulfur −1 , and remarkable cycling stability with 85.42% capacity retention after 100 cycles.

From hazardous waste to High-Performance Electrodes: Upcycling discarded cigarette filters into N/S co-doped Free-Standing carbon membranes for advanced energy storage.

The practical application of aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely limited by unstable Zn-metal anodes caused by dendritic growth and parasitic interfacial reactions. Herein, we report an organic-inorganic hybrid protective layer composed of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS), fabricated via a scalable and controllable spray-coating process. The hybrid architecture synergistically integrates the mechanical robustness of BNNS with the ion-regulating functionality of SPEEK, effectively addressing the trade-off between interfacial rigidity and ionic transport. This structure promotes uniform Zn2+ flux, suppresses dendrite growth, and stabilizes the Zn/electrolyte interface. Theoretical calculations, including density functional theory and nudged elastic band analysis, further reveal that SO3H groups in SPEEK lower the Zn2+ adsorption energy and migration barriers, facilitating Zn2+ transport across the protective layer. The hybrid protective layer enables long-term stable Zn plating/stripping (>1800h at 1mAcm-2, 1mAhcm-2) and uniform, dendrite-free deposition, as directly visualized by in situ optical microscopy. Consistent interfacial stabilization is further confirmed in Zn/MnO2 full cells with improved rate capability and capacity retention. This work highlights a practical and rational interfacial design strategy for stabilizing Zn-metal anodes toward durable AZIBs.

Abstract In the development of high-energy energy-storage systems, micrometer-sized SiOx-containing anode materials have garnered significant attention due to the limitations imposed by the low gravimetric specific capacity of commercial graphite. Coating layer design has been demonstrated to serve as a direct protective interface between the electrolyte and electrode, while also enhancing the kinetic behavior of Li + transport across the electrodes. The properties of both the carbon coating and the SiOx component are significantly influenced by the choice of precursor. In this study, the effects of precursor selection on the carbon coating layer applied through Chemical Vapor Deposition and on Mg-doped SiOx synthesized via a scalable Physical Vapor Deposition approach are examined. The results indicate that Mg-SiOx@CM, in which Mg-doped SiOx is coated with carbon using a C 2 H 2 /CH 4 gas mixture, exhibits a ‘velvet-like’ microstructure characterized by vertically and parallelly grown carbon layers. High reversible capacity (1424 mAhg −1 ), excellent cycling stability (capacity retention 81.43% after 100 cycles), and minimal electrode expansion (84.18%) are achieved by the as-prepared micrometer-sized Mg-SiOx@CM anode. Through facilitating the industrial-scale production of SiOx-based materials, this optimized CVD-based carbon coating strategy positions them as promising candidates for application in next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Finally, a composite material combining commercial graphite with Mg-SiOx@CM was designed, and its practical applicability was proposed in accordance with industrial standards.

The conversion of low-cost, widely available, and renewable agricultural and forestry biomass waste into high-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors has attracted significant research interest. In this study, bamboo was used as a raw material to prepare bamboo-derived activated carbon (BAC) and nitrogen-doped biomass activated carbon (N-BAC) via a two-step process involving carbonization and KOH activation. The obtained materials were subsequently evaluated as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The effects of carbonization temperature and time, activation temperature and time, and impregnation ratio on the structural properties and iodine adsorption capacity of the activated carbons were systematically examined. The results revealed that all process parameters influenced the iodine adsorption value of the samples in a volcano-type trend. The BAC prepared under optimized conditions (carbonization at 600 °C for 60 min, activation at 850 °C for 60 min, and an impregnation ratio of 6:1) exhibited the highest specific surface area (3013.30 m2/g), a total pore volume of 1.5813 cm3/g, and an average pore diameter of 2.0992 nm. Although nitrogen doping slightly reduced the specific surface area and pore volume of BAC, the introduced nitrogen-containing functional groups participated in redox reactions with the electrolyte, leading to a significant enhancement in the electrochemical performance of N-BAC. In a 6.0 M KOH electrolyte at a scan rate of 0.01 V/s, the specific capacitance of N-BAC reached 288.8 F/g, exceeding that of the optimized BAC (180.85 F/g). The supercapacitor assembled with N-BAC demonstrated a high energy density of 14.4 Wh/kg at a power density of 73.1 W/kg in aqueous electrolyte, the specific capacitance retention rate is about 90.3% after 5000 cycles between −1.2 V and 0 V at a scan rate of 10 mV/s. Overall, this work successfully developed high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials, providing a promising approach for the high-value utilization of biomass resources.

Electrochemically co-deposited and template directed composite electrode-based supercapacitors were compared in this study. The materials used for composite electrode were multiwalled carbon nanotubes and polyaniline (MWNT/PA). The lyotropic liquid crystalline properties of bentonite clay were used to enhance the performance of the supercapacitors. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the structural properties of electrodes. The techniques employed for electrochemical characterization of supercapacitors included cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) cycling. In the presence of bentonite clay liquid crystal, electrochemically co-deposited composite electrode supercapacitors produced the highest capacitance of 730F/g, while template directed composite electrode supercapacitors produced the highest capacitance of 690F/g. Galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling studies were performed for all the fabricated supercapacitors, and the EDWC electrode exhibited long cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 86% after 5000 cycles at 3mA/cm2. Lyotropic liquid crystal and a multiwalled carbon nanotube/polyaniline composite electrode, which were electrochemically co-deposited, are found to be the best combination of materials for supercapacitors.