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The Na3V2(PO4)2F3 (NVPF) cathode material is usually nano‐sized particles exhibiting low tap density, high specific surface area, correspondingly low volume energy density, and cycle stability of the sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, a high‐temperature shock (HTS) strategy is proposed to synthesize NVPF (HTS‐NVPF) with uniform conducting network and high tap density. During a typical HTS process (heating rate of 1100 °C s−1 for 10 s), the precursors rapidly crystallize and form large‐sized and dense particles. The tight connection between particles not only enhances their contact with carbon layers, but also reduces the specific surface area that inhibits side reactions between the interfaces and the electrolyte. Besides, ultrafast synthesis of NVPF reduces the F loss and amount of Na3V2(PO4)3 impurities, which improve cycling capability. The HTS‐NVPF demonstrates a high energy density of 413.4 Wh kg−1 and an ultra‐high specific capacity of 103.4 mAh g−1 at 10 C as well as 84.2% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. In addition, the excellent temperature adaptability of HTS‐NVPF (−45–55 °C) and remarkable electrochemical properties of NVPF||HC full cell demonstrate extreme competitiveness in commercial SIBs. Therefore, the HTS technique is considered to be a high‐efficiency strategy to synthetize NVPF and is expected to prepare other cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous Zn‐based batteries have emerged as compelling candidates for grid‐scale energy storage, owing to their intrinsic safety, remarkable theoretical energy density and cost‐effectiveness. Nonetheless, the dendrite formation, side reactions, and corrosion on anode have overshadowed their practical applications. Herein, we present an in situ grown carbon network reinforcing Zn matrix anode prepared by powder metallurgy. This carbon network provides an uninterrupted internal electron transport pathway and optimize the surface electric field distribution, thereby enabling highly reversible Zn deposition. Consequently, symmetrical cells demonstrate impressive stability, running for over 880 h with a low voltage hysteresis (≈32 mV). Furthermore, this Zn matrix composite anode exhibits enhanced performance in both the aqueous Zn‐ion and the Zn‐air batteries. Notably, Zn//MnO2 cells display superior rate capabilities, while Zn‐air batteries deliver high power density and impressive Zn utilization rate (84.9 %). This work provides a new idea of powder metallurgy method for modified Zn anodes, showcasing potential for large‐scale production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous Zn‐based batteries have emerged as compelling candidates for grid‐scale energy storage, owing to their intrinsic safety, remarkable theoretical energy density and cost‐effectiveness. Nonetheless, the dendrite formation, side reactions, and corrosion on anode have overshadowed their practical applications. Herein, we present an in situ grown carbon network reinforcing Zn matrix anode prepared by powder metallurgy. This carbon network provides an uninterrupted internal electron transport pathway and optimize the surface electric field distribution, thereby enabling highly reversible Zn deposition. Consequently, symmetrical cells demonstrate impressive stability, running for over 880 h with a low voltage hysteresis (≈32 mV). Furthermore, this Zn matrix composite anode exhibits enhanced performance in both the aqueous Zn‐ion and the Zn‐air batteries. Notably, Zn//MnO2 cells display superior rate capabilities, while Zn‐air batteries deliver high power density and impressive Zn utilization rate (84.9 %). This work provides a new idea of powder metallurgy method for modified Zn anodes, showcasing potential for large‐scale production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more renewable energy developed to satisfy the human need in the energy crisis, electricity storage is critical in power utilization and storage. Due to its high safety, high nature reserve, and high energy density, the zinc‐based battery is drawing increasing attention. Together with the expansion of human activities, the low‐temperature battery is developed to satisfy the power demand in extreme environments, and as a critical component, electrolytes shall have a low freezing point and satisfying electrochemical properties in cold conditions. In this review, the development of low‐temperature electrolytes for zinc‐based batteries will be comprehensively introduced. First, the failure mechanism of zinc‐based battery at low temperature will be illustrated. Second, five main types of low‐temperature electrolytes will be introduced in detail. Finally, the regulation of electrolyte/electrode surface at low temperature will be discussed. This review aims to provide a guideline for low‐temperature electrolyte design from the perspective of molecular behavior regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of wearable electronics has strongly stimulated advanced research into the exploration of flexible zinc−air batteries (ZABs) with high theoretical energy density, high inherent safety, and low cost. However, the half‐open battery structure and the high concentration of alkaline aqueous environment pose great challenges on the electrolyte retention capability and the zinc anode stability. Herein, a starch‐based superabsorbent hydrogel polymer electrolyte (SSHPE) with high ionic conductivity, electrolyte absorption and retention capabilities, strong alkaline resistance and high zinc anode stability has been designed and applied in ZABs. Experimental and calculational analyses probe into the root of the superiority of SSHPEs, confirming the significance of the carboxyl functional groups along their polymer chains. These features endow the as‐fabricated ZAB a long cycle life of 300 h, much longer than that with commonly used poly(vinyl alcohol)‐based electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of wearable electronics has strongly stimulated advanced research into the exploration of flexible zinc−air batteries (ZABs) with high theoretical energy density, high inherent safety, and low cost. However, the half‐open battery structure and the high concentration of alkaline aqueous environment pose great challenges on the electrolyte retention capability and the zinc anode stability. Herein, a starch‐based superabsorbent hydrogel polymer electrolyte (SSHPE) with high ionic conductivity, electrolyte absorption and retention capabilities, strong alkaline resistance and high zinc anode stability has been designed and applied in ZABs. Experimental and calculational analyses probe into the root of the superiority of SSHPEs, confirming the significance of the carboxyl functional groups along their polymer chains. These features endow the as‐fabricated ZAB a long cycle life of 300 h, much longer than that with commonly used poly(vinyl alcohol)‐based electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercapacitor (SC) is one of the most promising electrochemical energy‐storage devices. However, the practical application of SCs is limited by the low‐energy density. Herein, high‐temperature shock (HTS)‐derived ultrafine structure‐activated porous carbon (UAPC) with N, O functional groups is reported as high‐energy density SCs carbon. The process of ultrafast joule heating and cooling effectively transfers general‐purposed carbon into electrochemical‐activated carbon. The UAPC‐based SCs exhibit an energy density of up to 129 Wh kg−1 in EMIMBF4 ionic liquid, which outperform almost all reported and commercial SCs (22 Wh kg−1). The outstanding electrochemical performance of UAPC is attributed to the ultrafine structure and N, O functional groups, which enlarges the surface area, improves the surface wettability of UAPC electrodes, and provides pseudocapacitance. The facile and efficient ultrafast‐processing strategy has opened up an unprecedented pathway for the application of low‐value carbon for the electrode design and application of SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the low redox potential of −3.04 V (vs SHE) and ultrahigh theoretical capacity of 3862 mAh g−1, lithium metal has been considered as promising anode material. However, lithium metal battery has ever suffered a trough in the past few decades due to its safety issues. Over the years, the limited energy density of the lithium‐ion battery cannot meet the growing demands of the advanced energy storage devices. Therefore, lithium metal anodes receive renewed attention, which have the potential to achieve high‐energy batteries. In this review, the history of the lithium anode is reviewed first. Then the failure mechanism of the lithium anode is analyzed, including dendrite, dead lithium, corrosion, and volume expansion of the lithium anode. Further, the strategies to alleviate the lithium anode issues in recent years are discussed emphatically. Eventually, remaining challenges of these strategies and possible research directions of lithium‐anode modification are presented to inspire innovation of lithium anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of flexible zinc–air battery (ZAB) is highly desirable in achieving superior and stable electrochemical/mechanical properties. Herein, we developed a Zn‐coated foam anode with three‐dimensional (3D) architecture, obtained by electroplating Zn on Cu foam substrate. The compact outer surface and sufficient amount of metallic Zn could be controlled accurately by selecting appropriate porous substrate and electroplating time on Cu foam. Moreover, adding tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) to conventional polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–KOH hydrogel electrolyte effectively improved the water retention of the semi‐solid electrolyte with stable ionic conductivity. The electrolyte precursor fluid was poured on the uneven outer surface of Zn‐coated foam anode and then frozen crosslinked to increase contact between the 3D anode and the electrolyte. A flexible semi‐solid‐state ZAB based on the 3D Zn‐coated foam anode and the hydrogel electrolyte was assembled and exhibited good discharge performance, high energy density (586.5 Wh kgZn−1) and long cycling life. Benefiting from the flexibility of all components, the resultant ZAB performed stable charge and discharge under bending conditions, indicating its promising potential application for flexible and portable energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Rapid electroless in-situ Sn modification strategy for Cu-based current collectors. • Large-area (>1200 cm2) structurally and functionally integrated RSN05 collector. • High lithium plating/stripping performance and adaptability to commercial cathodes. • Enhancement mechanism based on the formation of highly lithiophilic Li 7 Sn 2 layer. Lithium metal anode has excellent theoretical capacity which promises to break the energy density bottleneck caused by the low capacity of the conventional graphite anode. However, multi-challenges associated with pure lithium anodes are slowing down the practical application of lithium metal batteries. The development of high-performance current collector (CC) is one of the effective ways to respond. Here, a rapid electroless in-situ Sn modification process is utilized to produce high-performance, large-area (>1200 cm2), ultra-thin (<12 μm), structurally and functionally integrated anode CCs for lithium metal batteries. The lithium affinity of the bare Cu CC is significantly enhanced by a simple soaking treatment for only 3–10 min. The enhancement mechanism based on Li 7 Sn 2 is clarified by the first-principles calculations combined with electrochemical analysis. The best RSN05 CC exhibits impressive Li plating/stripping performance and good adaptability to the major commercialized cathodes (LFP, NCM(811), LCO). Moreover, the enhancement in pouch batteries is preliminarily validated, illustrating the prospects of the RSN05 CC for further applications. The electroless Sn modification process and the RSN05 CC in this work promise to facilitate the continuous production of high-performance anode CCs and accelerate the practical application of lithium metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of flexible electronics, the demand for advanced power sources has grown. Developing high-performance energy storage devices requires comprehensive consideration of various factors such as electrodes, electrolytes, and service conditions. Herein, a data-driven research framework is proposed to optimize the electrode-electrolyte system in supercapacitors. With the help of machine learning, we reveal the key factors affecting the capacitance performance of carbon-based materials. According to the algorithm analysis, a kind of 3D carbon network is prepared with controlled composition and structure, which is incorporated with a high-safety ionic liquid to obtain a supercapacitor device. This device with high energy density and impressive flexibility can maintain operational stability under extreme conditions such as humidity, shock, and localized damage. Overall, this work presents a typical pipeline for accelerating the design of energy-related devices. [Display omitted] • A data-driven design framework for energy storage devices is proposed. • Machine learning is used to investigate the key features of electrode materials. • An ultra-thin flexible supercapacitor device with high safety is fabricated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous secondary Zn–Ni batteries have attracted extensive attention as a potential candidate to meet the increasing demand for energy storage device since they are environmental friendly and can provide inherent safety, high energy density and power density. However, the uneven deposition, passivation and corrosion of ZnO anode severely reduce the cycling life of the battery. Herein, tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) are introduced into the battery as electrolyte additives. The Zn–Ni battery achieves an excellent cycling life of 450 h since the additives provide more reduction sites and hinder the formation of dead zinc. In addition, the electrolyte additives can also reduce the corrosion current density of the anode and maintain the stable cycle of the battery under floating charge mode for more than 40 days. These results confirm the great practical application potential of aqueous Zn–Ni battery. • Tetraethylammonium bromide and polyethylene oxide are used as electrolyte additives. • The electrolyte additives effectively increase the reduction sites of zinc. • The batteries exhibit better cyclic stability and floating charge performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational design and synthesis of hybrid-type electrode nanomaterials are of significant importance for their diverse applications, including their promising usage as high-efficiency nanoarchitectures for supercapacitors (SCs) as a class of promising energy-storage systems for powering next-generation electric vehicles and electronic devices. Here, we report a regulated synthesis of eutectic structured Ni 3 S 2 /NiS nanorods, which is demonstrated to have fantastic electrochemical performance as a freestanding electrode for hybrid SCs. The as-prepared Ni 3 S 2 /NiS significantly increases the interfacial atomic activity between Ni 3 S 2 and NiS, which provides more electrochemical active sites and facilitates fast ion diffusion. The Ni 3 S 2 /NiS electrode presented superior areal specific capacity of 1330 μA h cm−2 and remains 67.1% of its initial capacity when the current density increased 20 folds. The as-assembled hybrid supercapacitor demonstrated fantastic energy density of 0.567 mWh cm−2@4.251 mW cm−2, and retained at 0.476 mWh cm−2@34.440 mW cm−2 with long durability. This study provides a facile pathway to rationally design a variety of eutectic structured metal compounds for high performance energy storage devices. Image 1 • Eutectic Ni 3 S 2 /NiS nanorods with enriched grain boundaries are synthesised. • Ni 3 S 2 /NiS exhibits abundant active sites and enhanced electronic conductivity. • The synergistic effect contributes to improved electrochemical performance. • Ni 3 S 2 /NiS exhibits high specific capacity, superior rate capability and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 120 years' development route of the nickel-based cathode, lots of efforts have been made to realize alkaline batteries with better performance. From the earliest Edison's nickel-iron battery to the modern nickel-based battery, progress is always accompanied by backtracking steps, exhibiting a spiral-rising feature. In the early researches, composition and structures of cathodes gained most of the attention while since the 21st century, the morphology of the active materials has taken most of the research areas. Although the research interests varied with the development of technology, the core issues in material science still exist and cause unfavored problems, including insufficient energy density, limited cyclability, and inadequate rate performance. This review mainly focuses on describing a comprehensive development story of the nickel-based cathode and explaining the reasons for technology alteration. In the end, issues needed attention for future researches are presented to provide practical guidance. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, boltless and easily assembled zinc–air battery configuration is developed to compare with the conventional configuration commonly used in most academic studies. A zinc–air battery with a boltless configuration can fundamentally avoid the man-made leakage risk by sealing the internal environment via mechanical fasteners on the battery body and enhancing the cell capacity by modifying the battery configuration. The volume energy density and the mass energy density of zinc–air battery stacks with five zinc–air batteries in series are 117.3 Wh L−1 and 68.0 Wh kg−1, respectively, both exceeding those of commercial lead-acid batteries. This study simulates the static and dynamic application of zinc–air battery stacks as a power supply for an electric motorcycle and a single flow battery energy storage unit, showing high commercial application potential in mobile power supply and scale energy storage. Image 1 • A boltless zinc–air battery configuration with good sealing effect is developed. • Man-made leakage risk of zinc–air battery caused by uneven stress is avoided. • Developed configuration has higher mass efficiency than conventional configuration. • Developed zinc–air battery has greater energy density than lead-acid batteries. • Potential of zinc–air batteries in electric motorcycle is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the remarkably large theoretical specific capacity of silicon (Si), Si‐based rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have attracted great interest, as they are expected to meet the growing demand for large‐scale energy storage devices, electric vehicles, and portable electronic devices with high energy density. However, the Si‐based LIB faces great challenges due to the cyclic volume changes induced by Si, which lead to considerable capacity fading. To facilitate the use of high‐performance LIBs enabled by Si‐based anodes, understanding the fading mechanism is necessary. In this regard, various advanced characterization methods have been developed to reveal the fading mechanism and to develop a modification strategy associated with compositional and structural evolution. In this review, the general understanding of the fading mechanism and the technical specifications of Si‐based LIBs are discussed. The recent progress in advanced characterization methods for Si‐based LIBs is summarized with respect to the achievements in compositional and structural interpretation. Several possible future research directions for Si‐based LIBs and the expected development trends in relevant characterization methods are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible Zn‐based batteries are emerging candidates for wearable electronics owing to the natural merits of zinc, such as environmental friendliness and low cost. In article number 1802605 by Cheng Zhong, Jun Lu, and co‐workers, the challenges of developing flexible Li‐ion batteries are presented. Thereafter, a brief overview of recent progress in the development of flexible Zn‐based rechargeable batteries from the perspective of energy density, rechargeability, flexible electrolytes, and some other issues that remain to be addressed, are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]