Cycling Durability Research Articles

Boosting the reversibility of Zn anodes via synergistic cation–anion interface adsorption with addition of multifunctional potassium polyacrylate

Rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries have the edge in resource reserve, cost, energy and conversion efficiency due to the inherent features of metal Zn anodes. However, the application of Zn-based batteries is being seriously hindered by Zn dendrites and water-induced side-reactions. Here, potassium polyacrylate (K-PAM) is proposed as the electrolyte additive to form a synergistic cation–anion interface on Zn surface. The carboxyl anions and K+ cations are preferentially adsorbed on the Zn surface due to the intrinsic surfactant characteristics, which could homogenize Zn plating and suppress parasitic reactions. The synergistic regulation of K-PAM additive endows the ZnZn symmetric cells with excellent cyclic durability of 1250 h at 1 mA cm−2, which is significantly better than the polyacrylic acid additive only with carboxyl anions. Moreover, trace K-PAM addition into traditional ZnSO4 electrolyte endows the ZnCu batteries with a considerable average Coulombic efficiency of 99.2 %. Additionally, higher capacity retention and excellent cycling stability of ZnVO2 cells further mark K-PAM as a potentially impressive aqueous electrolyte additive for high-performance Zn-based batteries. This work will provide a promising method for the synergistic regulation with cations and anions of electrolyte additives to improve the stability and reversibility of Zn anodes.

Mesocrystallinely stabilized lithium storage in high-entropy oxides

High-entropy oxides (HEOs) have received growing recognition as an anode candidate for lithium-ion batteries, primarily attributed to their decent lithium storage capabilities and high cycling durability. However, the underlying lithium storage mechanism of HEOs remains ambiguous, particularly the origins for their high structural stability, necessitating more comprehensive investigations. In this research, the working mechanisms of one representative HEO anode, the rock salt-structured Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2O, are explored via state-of-the-art in-situ characterizations. Findings point to an interesting mesocrystal-stabilized lithium-ion storage mechanism responsible for maintaining the structural stability of HEOs during cycling, where, upon lithiation, Mg2+ remains electrochemically inactive within the oxygen lattice to stabilize the overall oxide framework. Co and Zn can be reversibly reduced/oxidized upon (de)lithiation, contributing to the electrochemical capacity; while for Cu and Ni, once reduced to metallic state under a relatively high current density, could not be re-oxidized but interconnect to form an electron-conductive network through the HEO body, contributing for the decent lithium-storage performance. Such feature depends on the applied current density, i.e. when decreasing the current, Ni regains its redox capability upon cycling with only Cu0 sustaining the conductive metallic network. This work is expected to serve as a benchmark for structurally and compositionally designing the next-generation high-entropy electrode materials for lithium storage.

Insight into the catalytic behavior of ionic liquids and deactivation suppression technique in naphthalene alkylation

Lewis acidic ionic liquids as catalysts for alkylation reactions exhibited the potential for industrial application. Herein, the catalytic behavior of AlCl3-based ionic liquids with four organic ammonium salts was studied in the alkylation of naphthalene with n-octene for production of lubricating base oil, with special focus on the deactivation and recovery of ionic liquid. The Et3NHCl-AlCl3 ionic liquid exhibited better catalytic performance than others due to its stronger interaction with naphthalene, as evidenced by the adsorption test of naphthalene over ionic liquids. To understand the deactivation mechanism, the deactivated catalysts were extensively characterized by FT-IR and UV–vis. The protonation effect of ionic liquids on polyalkylation products in the presence of HCl was found to aggravate the deactivation of ionic liquid. The negative effect is easily reversed by the decompression treatment on the reaction system before catalyst recovery, this method markedly enhanced the cycling durability of ionic liquids for industrial application.

Unraveling the New Role of Manganese in Nano and Microstructural Engineering of Ni‐Rich Layered Cathode for Advanced Lithium‐Ion Batteries

AbstractSubstantial endeavors are dedicated to advance the electrochemical performance of Ni‐rich Li[Ni1−x−yCoxMny]O2 (NCM) and Li[Ni1−x−yCoxAly]O2 (NCA) cathode, with a particular focus on doping, aimed at addressing cycling durability and thermal stability of the cathodes. Mn is widely considered an attractive dopant because of its abundance and considerably lower cost than other dopant candidates. However, despite the long history of research, the role of Mn doping remains poorly understood, confined to the historical level, and associated with crystal structural and chemical aspects. Herein, the role of Mn doping beyond its classical role is redefined, particularly in terms of cathode microstructure. Introducing excess Mn during calcination significantly engineers the nano‐ and micro‐level structural features of the peripheral grains of the Li[Ni0.910Co0.079Al0.011]O2 cathode. The microstructural modification achieved by doping with 4 mol% Mn significantly improves the electrochemical cycling performance of the cathode, extending the capacity retention up to 76.5% after 1000 cycles under fast charging conditions (3 C and 45 °C). Hence, by providing an alternative approach to redesign the structural features of the cathode, Mn doping offers a significant step toward the sustainable development of high‐performance Ni‐rich Li[Ni1−x−y−zCoxMnyAlz]O2 (NCMA) cathodes for next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries.

Flexible and twistable free-standing PDMS-magnetic-nanoparticle-based soft magnetic films with robust magnetic properties

In this paper, we develop multifunctional, physically soft, mechanically compliant, and magnetically responsive PDMS films, with embedded Fe3O4 nanoparticles, that show robust magnetic properties over a significant range of mechanical deformation. First, we establish that the magnetic properties, namely the saturation magnetization (M s), remanent magnetization (M r), and intrinsic coercivity (H ci) of these PDMS films in highly deformed configurations, i.e. in folded, twisted (with different twist angles), and bent (flexed) configurations, show very little degradation compared to those obtained in undeformed configurations. Next, the films were subjected to repetitive cycles of zero-to-max deformation (R = 0) and the saturation magnetization of the films was shown to not exhibit any significant degree of progressive degradation as a function of cyclic deformation history. These findings confirm the excellent robustness and cyclic durability of magnetic properties shown by these magnetic and compliant PDMS films and point to their suitability for wearable electronics applications.

Synergistic Engineering of Carbon Nanotubes Threaded NiSe2/Co3Se4 Quantum Dots with Rich Se Vacancies for High‐Rate Nickel–Zinc Batteries

AbstractLimited by sluggish reaction kinetics, insufficient electrode utilization and severe volume deformation, designing nickel‐based materials with high capacity and rate capability is still a challenge. Herein, a carbon nanotubes threaded NiSe2/Co3Se4 quantum dots embedded in carbon nanospheres with rich Se vacancies both in NiSe2 and Co3Se4 is elaborately designed via MOF template method. The formation mechanism of the Se vacancies is elucidated for the first time, which is ascribed to the release of gas during the decomposition of organic ligand inhibits the ordered arrangement of atoms. The CNT‐V‐NiCoSe possesses many significant superiorities, such as sufficiently exposed active sites, high electrode utilization, favorable charge‐carrier migration, and relaxed structure deformation. Consequently, the CNT‐V‐NiCoSe electrode shows top‐level specific capacity (384 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1), ultrahigh rate capability (209 mAh g−1 at 150 A g−1) and remarkable cycling durability. The CNT‐V‐NiCoSe//Zn battery achieves maximum energy density of 615.6 Wh kg−1 and maximum power density of 81.7 kW kg−1. Density functional theory calculations elucidate the Se vacancies improve the density of states at Fermi level, facilitates internal charge transfer, and enhances OH− adsorption ability. This study provides guidance for the preparation of high‐performance electrode materials with rich vacancies by template method.

MOF/LDH cross composites derived heterojunction nanospheres as highly efficient catalysts for ORR-OER and rechargeable Zn-air batteries

Exploiting high-stability and cost-effective cathode catalysts is still one of the most important issues in promoting the practical application of Zn-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, the MOF/LDH crossed composites are utilized as templates to construct the N-doped carbon framework carrying the CoFe/Fe3C heterojunction as highly efficient electrocatalysts for ORR-OER and ZABs. During pyrolysis, the Co-Fe-LDH transforms into the CoFe alloy nanoparticle, while the MOFs convert to the Fe3C phase, thus leading to the formation of the CoFe/Fe3C heterojunction. Owing to the strong interactions between the heterogeneous interface of MOF and LDH, more active sites can be obtained on the surface of the contact interface. Moreover, more oxygen vacancies are generated in the catalysts after the formation of heterojunction. The optimal CoFe/Fe3C@CN-900 catalysts exhibit excellent ORR-OER performance with a potential gap between ORR and OER of 0.713 V at 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. DFT calculations demonstrate that the electron redistributes and accumulates at the heterojunction interface between CoFe and Fe3C, resulting in a stronger electron-donating capacity and faster electron conductivity. The CoFe/Fe3C@CN-900-based aqueous and solid-state ZABs also display good battery performance with high power density, strong discharge stability, large capacity, and good charge–discharge cycling durability.

Redox-active poly(imide-quinone) covalent organic framework anodes for high-efficient and durable aqueous proton batteries

Hydrogen ions (protons), as the lightest and smallest non-metallic charge carriers, have aroused great interest in the field of aqueous batteries. Unfortunately, most anode materials used for these proton batteries still suffer from low specific capacity and/or unsatisfactory cycle durability due to structural deterioration resulted from corrosion of strong acid electrolytes. Here, we report for the first time a robust poly(imide-quinone) (PIQ) covalent organic framework (COF) with dual redox-active naphthalene diimide-paraquinone motifs in its periodic skeletons for proton storage, which can afford a high reversible capacity of ∼ 255.6 mAh/g at a current density of 1 A/g with outstanding cycling stability. The aqueous proton battery (APB) fabricated with this PIQ-COF anode and a copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) cathode demonstrates an unprecedentedly remarkable combination of reversible capacity (about 138 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g), rate capability (76.5 % capacity retention at 20 A/g), and long-term cyclability (99.999 % per cycle for 10,000 cycles at 3 A/g). The ex situ FTIR characterization reveals that the C = O groups in naphthalene imides and paraquinones contribute abundant and accessible redox-active sites for proton storage.

Enhanced cyclic durability of low-cost Ti–V–Cr hydrogen storage alloys by elemental alloying

Low-cost low vanadium (low-V) hydrogen storage materials have high reversible capacities (>2.0 wt%) under moderate conditions, however, they suffer from drastic capacity decay during cycling. In this work, a series of TiCr1.1M0.1(V–Fe)0.6 (M = Mn, Mo and Nb) alloys are prepared by elemental alloying on the basis of the low-cost, low-V alloy TiCr1.2(V–Fe)0.6 alloy, and the modification mechanism of the elemental alloying on the cycling durability of the alloy is systematically investigated. In 100 cycles, the results demonstrated that the original alloy TiCr1.2(V–Fe) 0.6 suffered from poor desorption capacity (1.13 wt%) and lowly capacity retention rate (60.43%). Compared to the addition of Mn and Nb, TiCr1.1Mo0.1(V–Fe)0.6 obtained higher cyclic hydrogen storage capacity (1.32 wt%) and capacity retention (68.04%). In addition, it is found that the addition of Mo can inhibit the formation of the secondary phase during the cycling, and the abundance of the C14 Laves phase maintained at only 2.47% after 100 cycles. According to the microstructural analysis of the alloys during cycling, it is found that the decrease in grain size, the accumulation of micro strain and dislocation density, and the degree of particle pulverization seriously affect the cycling durability of the alloys, resulting in a drastic decrease in the dehydrogenation cycling capacity. Finally, it should be noted that although the improvement in cycle durability with Mo alloying is limited, it is still a positive reference for developing low-cost low-V alloys with good cycle durability.

A Highly Stable Practical Li Metal Anode via Interphase Regulation and Nucleation Induction

AbstractThe practical utilization of Li metal anodes has been significantly plagued by the challenges of uncontrollable dendritic Li growth and poor interphase instability. Here, the study reports a novel strategy to strengthen interphase and give highly efficient active seeds concurrently to stabilize Li metal via a highly lithiophilic In2O3 decorated porous scaffold. In situ configurated fast‐ion‐transport Li2O‐strengthened interphase layer cooperatively with highly efficient Li13In3 nucleation induction can endow the uniform Li nucleation/growth and high Li utilization efficiency. As a result, the achieved modified Li metal manifests high Coulombic efficiency, ultrahigh rate performance (5 mA cm−2), and ultra‐long lifespan cycling durability (7975 cycles). Importantly, the established Li|LiFePO4 cells exhibit long‐term cycling durability over 600 cycles at 1 C with an ultralow decay rate of ca. 0.017% per cycle. Moreover, the Li|LiCoO2 pouch cells with ultrahigh areal capacity of ca. 3.89 mAh cm−2 also exhibit extraordinarily prolonged cycling performance with excellent capacity retention despite extremely harsh cycling conditions of low negative‐to‐positive‐capacity (N/P) ratio of ca. 1.7 and lean electrolyte of ca. 4.9 g Ah−1. This work enlightens a facile and effective avenue toward highly stable Li metal anode toward reliable practicability.

Atomic-level insights into bioinspired Fe/Ni bimetallic active sites on carbon nitrides for electrocatalytic O2 evolution

Atomically dispersed active speices on nanomaterials have shown greate promise for various catalytic reactions. In this work, bioinspired bimetallic materials (FeNi-CN) are produced through the mixing of melamine with FeCl2·4H2O and NiCl2·6H2O followed by heat treatment. FeNi-CN exhibits exceptional electrocatalytic activity with an overpotential of 250 mV for oxygen evolution reactions (OERs), which surpasses the well-known IrO2. Additionally, it shows excellent cyclic durability up to 10,000th cycle. The various characterizations reveal the atomically dispersed Fe and Ni atoms across C3N4 networks through coordination to N atoms. Comparative experiments with monometallic samples show that bimetallic FeNi-CN outperforms them. Density functional theory calculations support these findings, indicating that Ni has a higher OER activity than Fe, and the combination of bimetallic Ni and Fe and structural corrugation in FeNi-CN enhances catalytic performance. Ex-situ study supports the electrochemical stability. This work suggests the potential of bimetallic catalysts for electrocatalytic application.

Optimization of electrochromic performance of WO3−x films grown by RF sputtering on gallium-doped zinc oxide

The present paper investigates the sputtered tungsten oxide thin films on gallium-doped zinc oxide-coated glass substrates concerning electrochromic behavior since the most promising candidate of smart glass in the future. Concordantly, each of the deposition parameters, including sputter power, total pressure, and O2/Ar + O2 gas ratio in the plasma, were examined in terms of electrochromic applications to enable to use of these values to be brought to large scale in commercial applications. As a result of comprehensive and systematic optimization studies, the optical modulation values were reached from 63.1 % to 70.8 % and the time needed for coloration and bleaching was observed as 7 and 5 s with final deposition values as 45 W power, 10 mTorr pressure, and 25 % O2 ratio. Additionally, whilst durability is still a problem in electrochromic coatings, reasonable durability cycling was achieved after 900 switching without encapsulation.

Creep and cyclic durability of CVI SiC/SiC composites

Isothermal creep and sustained-peak low-cycle fatigue (SPLCF) tests were conducted on as-fabricated and precracked chemically vapor infiltrated (CVI) SiC-fiber-reinforced SiC-matrix (SiC/SiC) composites with Hi-Nicalon™-S fibers from 1200 to 1450 °C in air at stresses up to 150 MPa and for exposure times up to 400 hr. The creep behaviors were analyzed by using a modified Norton-Bailey equation. The residual in-plane tensile properties of those specimens that survived 300- to 400-hr runout were measured. Results indicate that the as-fabricated composites show better durability under creep than under SPLCF and retain a significant percentage of their in-plane tensile properties after runout. In contrast, durability and residual in-plane tensile properties of the precracked composites under similar creep and SPLCF testing conditions decreased with an increase in temperature as well as an increase in stress. Failure mechanism(s) and factors influencing durability of the composite are discussed.

A superior sodium-ion anode material from PAN/lignin-derived carbon nanofibers with inter-connected structure prepared through phosphoric acid induced cross-linking

A feasible route to fabricate phosphorus-doped carbon nanofibers (P-CNFs) with an inter-connected structure has been demonstrated through electrospinning, stabilization, and subsequent phosphoric acid impregnation and carbonization processes using polyacrylonitrile and lignin as carbon sources. The results illustrate that the phosphoric acid induced cross-linking could be beneficial to acquire the closed-pore structure and the heteroatom-doped surface chemistry of nanofibers. As a result, the P-CNFs exhibit higher interlayer spacing of graphite and lower BET specific surface area compared to the pristine CNFs. The P-CNFs as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) present a high reversible capacity 278 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and a superior initial Coulomb efficiency (ICE) of 78.86 %. Moreover, the reversible capacity of P-CNFs can be stably maintained near the initial capacity after 5000 cycles at 1 A g−1, showing exceptional structural stability and cycling durability. Meanwhile, the sodium storage mechanism of P-CNFs was investigated using in-situ Raman and ex-situ XRD analysis to understand the exceptional structural stability and Na+ adsorption capacity of P-CNFs. This work provides valuable insights for the design of carbon nanofibers with an inter-connected structure as anode materials for SIBs, exhibiting outstanding electrochemical properties.

A homoeostatic switch causing glycerol-3-phosphate and phosphoethanolamine accumulation triggers senescence by rewiring lipid metabolism

Cellular senescence affects many physiological and pathological processes and is characterized by durable cell cycle arrest, an inflammatory secretory phenotype and metabolic reprogramming. Here, by using dynamic transcriptome and metabolome profiling in human fibroblasts with different subtypes of senescence, we show that a homoeostatic switch that results in glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) and phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) accumulation links lipid metabolism to the senescence gene expression programme. Mechanistically, p53-dependent glycerol kinase activation and post-translational inactivation of phosphate cytidylyltransferase 2, ethanolamine regulate this metabolic switch, which promotes triglyceride accumulation in lipid droplets and induces the senescence gene expression programme. Conversely, G3P phosphatase and ethanolamine-phosphate phospho-lyase-based scavenging of G3P and pEtN acts in a senomorphic way by reducing G3P and pEtN accumulation. Collectively, our study ties G3P and pEtN accumulation to controlling lipid droplet biogenesis and phospholipid flux in senescent cells, providing a potential therapeutic avenue for targeting senescence and related pathophysiology.

Simultaneously manipulating carbon coating layers and void structures in silicon/carbon anode materials via bifunctional templates for lithium-ion batteries

The carbon coating strategies, ameliorating structure instability and reaction kinetics of silicon anodes upon lithiation/delithiation, have been chronically plagued by an electrochemical contradiction between a high specific capacity from a high silicon content and a long cycle life from a high carbon content. Herein, the carbon coating layers and void structures for silicon/carbon composites were simultaneously manipulated through a precisely grown Al2O3 template, which induced a controllable polydopamine polymerization through its mild interfacial interaction with Tris-buffer solution and created abundant void spaces by its residual parts. Particularly, the as-optimized silicon/carbon composite with an ultrahigh silicon content of 89.3 wt% could demonstrate a large initial reversible capacity of 2583 mAh g−1 with an 82.1 % coulombic efficiency at 200 mA g−1, a remarkable cycling durability of 601 mAh g−1 after 990 cycles at 2000 mA g−1, and an excellent rate capability of 887 mAh g−1 at 4000 mA g−1. The uniform void structures could maintain the structural stability/integrity of silicon, boost reaction kinetics across electrode/electrolyte interfaces, and suppress the uncontrollable formation/evolution of solid electrolyte interphases upon cycling. This novel research on synchronously regulating carbon layers and void structures in silicon/carbon composites would enlighten a rational development of high-capacity and long-life silicon anodes.

Improving charge transfer via nickel–nickel oxide/molybdenum dioxide heterostructure for advanced supercapacitor electrode

Currently, asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs), as significant energy storage devices, have gained tremendous attention for alleviating the ever-increasing demands of carbon-free energy. Herein, metallic nickel decorated nickel oxide/molybdenum dioxide nanorods are directly anchored on porous nickel foam (Ni-NiO/MoO2/NF) by a hydrothermal method and subsequent reduction engineering under H2/Ar aura. The H2-reduction induced oxygen vacancies, multi-phase configurations, and rich interfaces synergistically enchace the electrochemical energy storage capabilities of the Ni-NiO/MoO2/NF. Notably, the density functional theory (DFT) results indicate that the generated interfaces of both Ni/NiO and Ni/MoO2 facilitate the metallic characteristic and thus enhance the electrochemical redox activity. Consequently, the Ni-NiO/MoO2/NF shows a specific capacity of 256.8 C g–1 at 1 A g–1 and 159.9 C g–1 at 20 A g–1, as well as a good cycling durability (remains 90.7% capacity after 8000 cycles) in 2.0 M of KOH media. In addition, an ASC with a voltage window of 1.4 V is constructed by employing the Ni-NiO/MoO2/NF and activated carbon (AC) as positive electrode and negative electrode, respectively, which exhibits an energy density as 28.8 Wh kg−1 at 777.8 W kg−1 and 80.2% capacity retention after 8000 charge/discharge operation. Further, a home-made ASC is assembled and exhibits potential application to power an electric fan. This work provides an efficiently way to construct multi-component electrodes with abundant heterostructures for applications in portable devices.

Optimizing Wavelength for Enhanced Cycling Durability of Laser‐Induced Phase Change in Sb2S3 Films: A Survey on Optical Transmission Phase Shift

AbstractThe advancement of nonvolatile reconfigurable photonic elements has led to the development of Sb2S3 as a desirable phase change material for optical phase modulation in visible and near‐infrared wavebands. However, achieving long‐lasting cycling durability of the phase change remains a formidable challenge. Traditional characterization methods like transmittance or reflectance measurement fail to provide a quantitative assessment of the degree of phase change. To address this, the study focuses on enhancing the cycling durability of complete phase change in Sb2S3 films by manipulating the wavelength of a femtosecond laser for amorphization. To accurately measure optical transmission phase shifts during phase change experiments, a novel liquid‐crystal retardance matching technique based on the Mach–Zehnder interferometer is developed. This approach allows for a direct and quantitative assessment of the degree of phase change without relying on an optical model. The findings reveal that longer wavelengths and multi‐pulse irradiation with increasing pulse energy significantly enhance the cycling durability of the phase change. Additionally, the cost‐effective customization of nonvolatile photonic elements is demonstrated using laser direct writing, eliminating the need for lithography. It is anticipated that this work will drive advancements in Sb2S3‐based reconfigurable devices and contribute to the broader field of nonvolatile reconfigurable photonic elements.

Achieving Fast and Stable Sodium Storage in Na4Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7) via Entropy Engineering.

Na4Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7) (NFPP) has been considered a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) owing to its environmental friendliness and economic viability. However, its electrochemical performance is constrained by connatural low electronic conductivity and inadequate sodium ion diffusion. Herein, a high-entropy substitution strategy is employed in NFPP to address these limitations. Ex situ X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a single-phase electrochemical reaction during the sodiation/desodiation processes and the increased configurational entropy in HE-NFPP endows an enhanced structure, which results in a minimal volume variation of only 1.83%. Kinetic analysis and density functional theory calculation further confirm that the orbital hybrid synergy of high-entropy transition metals offers a favorable electronic structure, which efficaciously boosts the charge transfer kinetics and optimizes the sodium ion diffusion channel. Based on this versatile strategy, the as-prepared high-entropy Na4Fe2.5Mn0.1Mg0.1Co0.1Ni0.1Cu0.1(PO4)2(P2O7) (HE-NFPP) cathode can deliver a prominent rate performance of 55mAhg-1 at 10Ag-1 and an ultra-long cycling lifespan of over 18000cycles at 5Ag-1. When paired with a hard carbon (HC) anode, HE-NFPP//HC full cell exhibits a favorable cycling durability of 1000cycles. This high-entropy engineering offers a feasible route to improve the electrochemical performance of NFPP and provides a blueprint for exploring high-performance SIBs.

Pillaring Electronic Nano-Wires to Slice T-Nb2O5 Laminated Particles for Durable Lithium-Ion Batteries.

T-Nb2O5 characterized by the pronounced intercalation pseudocapacitance effect, is regarded as a promising and alternative anode for fast-charging Li-ion batteries. However, its electrochemical kinetics are still hindered by the absence of sufficient and homogenous conductive wiring inside active microparticles. Herein, an in situ pillaring strategy of electronic nano-wires is proposed to slice T-Nb2O5 laminated particles for the development of durable and fast-charging anodes for Li-ion batteries. A micro-level layered structure consisting of nano-carbon-inserted T-Nb2O5 composite flakes is designed and enabled by successive ion exchange, slice exfoliation, in situ polymerization, and carbonization processes. The pillared carbon interlayer (derived from polyaniline) can serve as in-built conductive wires to promote and homogenize electron transfer inside the micro-level particles. The porous structure (formed by the self-assembly of exfoliated flakes) contributes to the improved electrolyte immersion and enhanced lithium migration. Benefitting from the kinetically favorable effects, the modified T-Nb2O5 anode achieves the high-rate capability (108.4 mAhg-1 at 10 Ag-1) and ultralong cycling durability (138 mAhg-1 at 1.0 Ag-1 after 8000 cycles, with an average capacity decaying rate as small as 0.043‰). This work provides an effective strategy of electron wire pillaring with the slicing effect for laminated electrode materials with high tap density.