The Faraday Institution programme: A UK perspective on innovation in the battery sector

Synergistic engineering of zincophilic sites and hierarchical porosity in lignin-derived carbon nanofiber networks for ultra-high energy density flexible zinc-ion hybrid capacitors

Engineering ultrahigh energy storage performance in polymer blends via thermally controlled phase separation

Dielectric energy storage capacitors play a pivotal role in pulsed power systems. Herein, we demonstrate a breakthrough in dielectric energy storage by engineering ​local polarization units in high-entropy multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). By incorporating equimolar Ba2 +/Sr2 + dual cations, we precisely smoothen the phase transition and stabilize a nanoscale phase-coexistence state in an NBT-based matrix, which simultaneously retain robust local polar units while disrupting long-range domain order. This unique configuration, validated by atomic-resolution HAADF-STEM and phase-field simulations, enables a high reversible polarization and breakdown strength. The optimized MLCCs achieve an ultrahigh recoverable energy density of 18.2Jcm-3 with 91% efficiency, coupled with exceptional thermal stability and fatigue resistance. This work establishes a general design paradigm for high-entropy dielectrics for energy storage by controlling local polarization configurations.

To validate leading theories on isotropic mechanical metamaterial designs, pSC-pFCC closed cell microlattices are fabricated from SS304L sheets using the LAPIS additive manufacturing technique. By removing excess material at each layer, the fully enclosed voids in the lattice design are faithfully reproduced, confirmed by micro-CT scan, without the need to introduce release holes for precursor materials. Material anisotropy caused by the layer-by-layer fabrication process is removed with a post-print heat treatment. The microlattices exhibited highly similar elastic deformation in the <100> and <110> axes, with stiffnesses at the Hashin-Shtrikman theoretical limit, as predicted previously. However, this isotropy in stress-strain response is unexpectedly extended to the plastic regime as well, even though the microlattices failed via plate buckling in <100> orientation, but by shear banding in <110>. Moreover, the microlattices also displayed remarkable specific energy absorption (15-33Jg-1) and energy absorption efficiencies up to 44%, at stresses as high as 410MPa. Material work hardening is key to this breakthrough performance, as it raised the plateau stress of the plate buckling failure to approximately the same level as the stretch-dominated elastic limit, which allowed ultrahigh stiffness to be united with excellent energy absorption characteristics in these mechanical metamaterials.

Ultrahigh capacitive energy storage in BNT-based polymorphic relaxor ceramics with dense microstructure and core-shell structure

Investigation of ultrahigh energy storage performance and superior thermal stability of BNBT-CST ceramics under low electric fields

3D-engineered BT/MF/PVDF composites: unveiling ultra-high energy storage density and superior charge discharge efficiency

Monosaccharide oxidation powered hybrid zinc-air battery with ultrahigh energy efficiency

NaNbO3-based ultra-high energy storage ceramics with linear polarization

Lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries offer ultrahigh theoretical energy density, but suffer from limited cycle life and high overpotentials, particularly in LiOH-based systems. While LiOH chemistry provides superior environmental tolerance compared to Li2O2 systems, the inherent four-electron redox process creates substantial charging overpotentials that compromise performance. Here, we tailor electrolyte activity to enable an efficient LiOH redox process by integrating 1-phenylpyrrolidine (PPD) as a redox mediator within an ionic liquid electrolyte. PPD possesses an optimal oxidation potential and stable p-π conjugation, enabling homogeneous chemical decomposition of LiOH and overcoming electrode-electrolyte contact limitations. The ionic liquid 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (C3C1im TFSI) is engineered to regulate water reactivity and maintain hydrogen-bond networks, thereby promoting selective LiOH formation over Li2O2 during discharge, while providing high oxidative stability to suppress mediator degradation-an issue prevalent in ether-based electrolytes. This electrolyte-mediator synergy shifts the charging mechanism from sluggish interfacial charge transfer to a fast, solution-mediated chemical route, delivering 180 stable cycles with markedly reduced overpotentials and ∼10× longer cycle life. This work offers molecular-level design principles for tailoring electrolyte activity to achieve high-efficiency and durable Li-O2 batteries based on LiOH chemistry.

Lithium metal batteries employing lithium-rich manganese-based oxide (LRMO) cathode promise ultrahigh energy density (more than 500 Wh kg-1), offering a disruptive route for power sources of electric vehicles and low-altitude aircraft, etc. Nevertheless, conventional electrolytes with weak anion-solvent interactions fail to form robust interfaces on both high-voltage LRMO cathodes and highly reactive lithium metal anodes. Here, we design a localized deep eutectic electrolyte (LDEE) by introducing a highly fluorinated ether diluent into a deep eutectic electrolyte (DEE). This diluent triggers electronic redistribution within hydrogen bond donors, relocating and intensifying hydrogen-bonding active sites. As a result, while maintaining strong Li+ solvation, the anion-solvent interactions are reinforced, and the anionic solvation structure is locally compacted. Both the cathodic interface and the anodic interphase are derived from anions, suppressing parasitic reactions at the lithium anode and mitigating lattice-oxygen release from the LRMO cathode. The battery with LDEE maintains 80% capacity after 200 cycles within 2-4.8 V. Benefiting from this electrolyte, the as-assembled 12.8 Ah LRMO||Li pouch cell delivers a high energy density of 616.2 Wh kg-1 and exhibits excellent safety under nail penetration and 130 °C oven tests. This work provides a viable strategy for achieving high energy density and long cycling stability in lithium metal batteries.

Planar microsupercapacitors (P-MSCs) with high power density and conformal configurations could provide on-chip power supply in the design of highly integrated electronics. However, achieving a breakthrough in overall energy within a finite footprint requires establishing an effective structure-performance relationship. Here, we present a cascaded spatial confinement strategy to construct a 3D interlocked P-MSC that couples force fields with charge transport/storage behavior, enabling ion-electron enrichment. Laser-etched pyramid microarrays on graphite current collectors create capillary forces that confine both electrode slurry and electrolyte to build a compact conduction network, while establishing a robust ion-electron interaction interface, significantly facilitating ion accessibility and kinetics. Using Zn//active carbon (AC) P-MSC as an example, the strategy boosts active material utilization by over 2-fold, and delivers an outstanding energy density of 117.5 mWh cm-3 and a power density of 2382.0 mW cm-3, exceeding those reported for Zn//AC P-MSCs by several to tens of times, and surpassing nearly all existing Zn-based P-MSCs in areal performance. The approach demonstrates reliable universality across various P-MSC systems (eight types are verified). Integrated devices show notable advantages in powering miniaturized electronics and flexible displays, possessing a voltage output approximately 4.7 times that of a same-sized dry battery, and are also configured as emergency power chips to charge smartphones.

ABSTRACT Lithium‐sulfur batteries (LSBs) hold great promise as next‐generation energy storage devices, owing to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density (2600 Wh kg −1 ). However, their real‐world implementation is limited by the polysulfide shuttle effect and the poor electrical conductivity of sulfur species. To address these problems and achieve high‐performance LSBs, it is crucial to develop multifunctional catalysts featuring abundant active sites, short and accessible ion transport channels, and lightweight architectures. Herein, a novel two‐dimensional mesoporous tungsten oxynitride/carbon nanosheet (WNO‐MCS) material is successfully fabricated via a self‐template‐guided interfacial assembly strategy. The resulting WNO‐MCS exhibits a uniform two‐dimensional nanosheet morphology, featuring vertically aligned mesoporous channels across the sheets with a pore size of 3.9 nm, a high surface area of 588.7 m 2 g −1 , and well‐confined WNO nanoclusters (∼2.9 nm) embedded in the mesopores. This unique 2D mesoporous structure provides short, open pathways for ion transport and highly exposed active sites; thus, LSBs with a WNO‐MCS‐modified separator deliver a remarkable areal capacity of 7.7 mAh cm −2 under a high sulfur loading of 8.0 mg cm −2 . Moreover, the pouch cell achieves an initial discharge capacity of 0.62 Ah with a high energy density of 360 Wh kg −1 .

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) hold great promise as next-generation energy storage devices, owing to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density (2600Wh kg-1). However, their real-world implementation is limited by the polysulfide shuttle effect and the poor electrical conductivity of sulfur species. To address these problems and achieve high-performance LSBs, it is crucial to develop multifunctional catalysts featuring abundant active sites, short and accessible ion transport channels, and lightweight architectures. Herein, a novel two-dimensional mesoporous tungsten oxynitride/carbon nanosheet (WNO-MCS) material is successfully fabricated via a self-template-guided interfacial assembly strategy. The resulting WNO-MCS exhibits a uniform two-dimensional nanosheet morphology, featuring vertically aligned mesoporous channels across the sheets with a pore size of 3.9nm, a high surface area of 588.7 m2 g-1, and well-confined WNO nanoclusters (∼2.9nm) embedded in the mesopores. This unique 2D mesoporous structure provides short, open pathways for ion transport and highly exposed active sites; thus, LSBs with a WNO-MCS-modified separator deliver a remarkable areal capacity of 7.7 mAh cm-2 under a high sulfur loading of 8.0mg cm-2. Moreover, the pouch cell achieves an initial discharge capacity of 0.62 Ah with a high energy density of 360Wh kg-1.

Antiferroelectric ceramics are promising for next-generation electrostatic energy storage, yet their performance is fundamentally constrained by the trade-off between high energy storage efficiency (η) and large recoverable energy storage density (Wrec), arising from the antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition and associated hysteresis loss. Here, we show that a combination of engineered local polarization disorder and high-field operability enables a highly favorable balance of these metrics. In PbZrO3-based ceramics, we introduced controlled compositional heterogeneity that broadens polarization vector distributions while preserving the antiferroelectric modulation. Phase-field simulations and experiments indicate that this engineered disorder spatially distributes the switching fields associated with the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric transition, thereby reducing polarization hysteresis while maintaining high polarization strength. As a result, the multilayer ceramic capacitors achieve Wrec = 23.2 J cm-3 and η = 98.1% at 167 kV mm-1, corresponding to a figure of merit of 1220, surpassing most reported state-of-the-art multilayer ceramic capacitors under comparable high-field conditions. These findings highlight local polarization disorder as a key mechanism that, in combination with enhanced breakdown strength, enables ultrahigh energy storage performance and offers a promising route toward high-performance capacitive energy storage for advanced pulsed-power applications.

Relaxor ferroelectric ceramics are promising energy-storage candidates for high-power electronic systems owing to their high energy density and fast charge-discharge speed. However, achieving ultrahigh energy density still poses challenges due to the inherently inverted coupling relationship between polarization (P) and breakdown electric field (Eb). Here, we propose a high-entropy strategy to decouple polarization from breakdown electric field. The high-entropy design exerts a triple effect, which involves flattening electronic band to restrict the transport of charge carriers, driving the formation of core-shell heterostructure to suppress electrical breakdown, and stabilizing polymorphic polar phases to promote polarization rotation. The triple synergy effect led to an ultrahigh Eb and a maximized polarization disparity (ΔP = Pm - Pr). As a result, the high-entropy ceramics exhibit an ultrahigh recoverable energy density (Wrec) of 10.23 ± 0.99 J/cm3 and a satisfactory efficiency (η) of 85.44% ± 3.34%, alongside good cycling reliability and temperature stability. This work provides an innovative design paradigm for achieving excellent energy storage performance of dielectric capacitors.

ABSTRACT Amidst the renewable power-generation technologies advance rapidly, multi-source harmonized optimization scheduling in power systems faces the challenge of balancing economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. Addressing issues such as high costs, inadequate control of pollutant emissions, and low algorithm convergence efficiency in traditional scheduling methods during the joint operation of renewable energy and thermal power sources, this study proposes multi-objective power system optimal scheduling model considering ultra-high renewable energy integration rates, along with the Hummingbird-zonal journey-needle optimization algorithm. The model integrates Latin hypercube sampling technique to construct a renewable energy output database. The algorithm innovatively employs a four-stage collaborative optimization mechanism, combining dynamic search radius adjustment with constraint repair strategies to significantly enhance algorithmic convergence accuracy and computational efficiency. This approach ensures simultaneous consideration of exploration and exploitation performance while rapidly identifying global optimal solutions. The Hummingbird-zonal journey-needle optimization algorithm is simulated using 15 benchmark algorithms and 2 case studies involving the harmonized hybrid renewable-thermal generation dispatch, validating the feasibility and reliability of the Hummingbird-zonal journey-needle optimization algorithm. The Hummingbird-zonal journey-needle optimization algorithm reduces fuel costs by 38.7% and pollution costs by 14.8% compared to traditional algorithms.

Dielectric ceramic capacitors with ultrahigh power density have become essential in modern power electronics. Guided by phase-field simulations and experiments, we propose a "local ferroelectric-global superparaelectric" strategy. This approach enhances Pm by introducing local ferroelectric polarization within a superparaelectric matrix, enabling superior energy storage performance. Introducing strong ferroelectric PbTiO₃ into a (Bi0.2Na0.2K0.2La0.2Sr0.2)Ti0.9Zr0.1O3 high-entropy superparaelectric achieves an ultrahigh energy storage density of ~21 J/cm³ with an efficiency of ~87% at 110 kV/mm. Multiscale structural characterization and theoretical calculations reveal the atomic-scale mechanism for this performance enhancement. At ≤ 30% PbTiO3, the Pb2+ lone pair effect is locally confined, boosting local ferroelectric distortion while maintaining a superparaelectric average structure for superior energy storage. At 40-50%, this effect extends throughout the matrix, inducing submicro-scale domains and macroscopic piezoelectricity. This work presents a design and material system for high-performance energy storage ceramics, laying the theoretical foundation for advanced high-entropy ferroelectric applications.

Nuclear energy has emerged as a crucial technological solution for ensuring energy security and achieving carbon neutrality goals, given its ultra-high energy density and near-zero carbon emissions against the backdrop of rapid socioeconomic development, increasing energy demands, and accelerated global transition toward low-carbon energy structures. As the core component for energy conversion in nuclear reactors, fuel elements critically determine reactor efficiency and safety performance, with the fission product retention capability of silicon carbide layers in multilayer-coated fuel particles having been thoroughly validated through high-temperature gas-cooled reactor irradiation tests. The precise sphericity control of large-sized UO2 fuel kernels represents a fundamental requirement for enhancing tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particle performance and advancing Generation IV nuclear power plant development. This study presents a sphericity control strategy based on sol-gel processing that synergistically integrates physicochemical regulation of gelling media with multi-field washing flow field optimization. By implementing silicone oil-mediated interfacial tension gradient control, we effectively suppressed gel sphere destabilization while developing an innovative three-phase sequential washing technique involving kerosene washing, anhydrous ethanol interfacial transition, and ammonia solution replacement, which significantly enhanced mass transfer diffusion in stagnant liquid films and revolutionized fuel microsphere washing technology with improved efficiency and quality. Experimental results demonstrate that this integrated approach increases kernel sphericity qualification to 99.8%, reduces washing solution consumption by 79%, and achieves an average sphericity of 1.03. The research establishes a coupling mechanism between gelling media and multi-field washing processes, elucidating the synergistic effect between interfacial tension regulation and washing optimization, thereby providing both theoretical foundations and engineering application basis for the precision manufacturing of high-performance nuclear fuels.