Qiang Zhang

Tsinghua University | TH · Department of Chemical Engineering

Nanometer-sized hydroxide active centers are uniformly and strongly hybridized into a graphene framework by means of defect-anchored nucleation and spatially confined growth, resulting in a superior electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction. This family of strongly coupled complexes and the topology-assisted fabrication strategy is expected to...

Lithium-sulfur batteries hold great promise for serving as next generation high energy density battery. However, the shuttle of polysulfide induces rapid capacity degradation and poor cycling stability of lithium-sulfur cells. Herein, we proposed unique lithium-sulfur battery configuration with ultrathin graphene oxide (GO) membrane for high stabil...

Preventing the stacking of graphene is essential to exploiting its full potential in energy-storage applications. The introduction of spacers into graphene layers always results in a change in the intrinsic properties of graphene and/or induces complexity at the interfaces. Here we show the synthesis of an intrinsically unstacked double-layer templ...

The sp2-hybridized nanocarbon (e.g., carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene) exhibits extraordinary mechanical strength and electrical conductivity but limited external accessible surface area and a small amount of pores, while nanostructured porous carbon affords a huge surface area and abundant pore structures but very poor electrical conductance....

The innovation on the low dimensional nanomaterials brings the rapid growth of nano community. Developing the controllable production and commercial applications of nanomaterials for sustainable society is highly concerned. Herein, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with sp(2) carbon bonding, excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal, as well as transport pro...

The use of lithium‐rich manganese‐based oxides (LRMOs) as the cathode in all‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs) holds great potential for realizing high energy density over 600 Wh kg⁻¹. However, their implementation is significantly hindered by the sluggish kinetics and inferior reversibility of anionic redox reactions of oxygen in ASSBs. In this contri...

Solid‐state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) with solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) are highly promising for next‐generation energy storage due to their enhanced safety and energy density. However, the stability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the lithium metal/SPE interface is a major challenge, as continuous SEI degradation and regener...

Contact prelithiation is widely used to compensate for the initial capacity loss of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the low utilization of the Li source, which suffers from the deteriorated contact interfaces, results in cycling degeneration. Herein, Li−Ag alloy‐based artificial electron channels (AECs) are established in Li source/graphite...

Contact prelithiation is widely used to compensate for the initial capacity loss of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the low utilization of the Li source, which suffers from the deteriorated contact interfaces, results in cycling degeneration. Herein, Li−Ag alloy‐based artificial electron channels (AECs) are established in Li source/graphite...

Solid‐state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) with solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) are highly promising for next‐generation energy storage due to their enhanced safety and energy density. However, the stability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the lithium metal/SPE interface is a major challenge, as continuous SEI degradation and regener...

Halide solid electrolytes (SEs) are attracting strong attention as one of the compelling candidates for the next‐generation of inorganic SEs due to their high ionic conductivity. Nevertheless, unsatisfactory high‐voltage stability restricts the further applications of halide SEs. Herein, the anion‐engineering of F⁻/O²⁻ is evolved to construct the h...

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP)/graphite batteries have long dominated the energy storage battery market and are anticipated to become the dominant technology in the global power battery market. However, the poor fast‐charging capability and low‐temperature performance of LFP/graphite batteries seriously hinder their further spread. These limitations...

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP)/graphite batteries have long dominated the energy storage battery market and are anticipated to become the dominant technology in the global power battery market. However, the poor fast‐charging capability and low‐temperature performance of LFP/graphite batteries seriously hinder their further spread. These limitations...

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries promise high‐energy‐density potential to exceed the commercialized lithium‐ion batteries but suffer from limited cycling lifespan due to the side reactions between lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and Li metal anodes. Herein, a three‐way electrolyte with ternary solvents is proposed to enable high‐energy‐density and long...

Accurately forecasting the nonlinear degradation of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) using early‐cycle data can obviously shorten the battery test time, which accelerates battery optimization and production. In this work, a self‐adaptive long short‐term memory (SA‐LSTM) method has been proposed to predict the battery degradation trajectory and battery...

Active and stable noble metal-free catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are essential for realizing large-scale hydrogen production using proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. Herein, we discover that engineering the...

Li‐rich Mn‐based (LRMO) cathode materials have attracted widespread attention due to their high specific capacity, energy density and cost‐effectiveness. However, challenges such as poor cycling stability, voltage decay and oxygen escape limit their commercial application in liquid Li‐ion batteries. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the...

Severe dendrite growth and high activity of lithium metal anode lead to short lifespan and poor safety, seriously hindering the practical applications of lithium metal batteries. By tri‐salt electrolyte design, we constructed a F‐/N‐containing inorganics‐rich solid electrolyte interphase upon lithium anode, which is electrochemically and thermally...

High-energy-density lithium metal batteries are the next-generation battery systems of choice, and replacing the flammable liquid electrolyte with a polymer solid-state electrolyte is a prominent conduct towards realizing the goal of high-safety and high-specific-energy devices. Unfortunately, the inherent intractable problems of poor solid-solid c...

Over the past three decades, lithium‐based batteries have greatly influenced our daily lives. However, their limited energy density poses challenges in meeting growing demand. To increase energy density, lithium metal anode is considered critical. This review systematically examines the history of lithium metal anode development, highlights notable...

Coordination engineering for single‐atom sites has drawn increasing attention, yet its chemical synthesis remains a tough issue, especially for tailorable coordination structures. Herein, a molecular recognition strategy is proposed to fabricate single‐atom sites with regulable local coordination structures. Specifically, a heteroatom‐containing li...

Coordination engineering for single‐atom sites has drawn increasing attention, yet its chemical synthesis remains a tough issue, especially for tailorable coordination structures. Herein, a molecular recognition strategy is proposed to fabricate single‐atom sites with regulable local coordination structures. Specifically, a heteroatom‐containing li...

The rising lithium metal batteries (LMBs) demonstrate a huge potential for improving the utilization duration of energy storage devices due to high theoretical energy density. Benefiting from the designs in the electrolyte, interface, and lithium host, several attempts have been made in the commercial application of LMBs. However, the application o...

Lithium–sulfur (Li−S) batteries are promising due to ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, their cycling lifespan is crucially affected by the electrode kinetics of lithium polysulfides. Herein, the polysulfide solvation structure is correlated with polysulfide electrode kinetics towards long‐cycling Li−S batteries. The solvation structure...

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are promising due to ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, their cycling lifespan is crucially affected by the electrode kinetics of lithium polysulfides. Herein, the polysulfide solvation structure is correlated with polysulfide electrode kinetics towards long‐cycling Li–S batteries. The solvation structure...

Gas bubble management is highly demanded in water electrolysis and the lack of real-time monitoring of gas bubbles has slowed down the progress. Here, we demonstrate operando single frequency impedance measurement as an electrochemical means to detecting gas bubble evolution during water splitting reactions. At optimum high frequencies, where the c...

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries promise great potential as high‐energy‐density energy storage devices. However, the parasitic reactions between lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and Li metal anodes render limited cycling lifespan of Li–S batteries. Herein, an organic‐rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is constructed to inhibit the LiPS parasitic re...

Practical lithium–sulfur (Li−S) batteries are severely plagued by the instability of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed in routine ether electrolytes. Herein, an electrolyte with 1,3,5‐trioxane (TO) and 1,2‐dimethoxyethane (DME) as co‐solvents is proposed to construct a high‐mechanical‐stability SEI by enriching organic components in Li−S ba...

Practical lithium–sulfur (Li−S) batteries are severely plagued by the instability of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed in routine ether electrolytes. Herein, an electrolyte with 1,3,5‐trioxane (TO) and 1,2‐dimethoxyethane (DME) as co‐solvents is proposed to construct a high‐mechanical‐stability SEI by enriching organic components in Li−S ba...

The poor compatibility with Li metal and electrolyte oxidation stability preclude the utilization of commercial ester‐based electrolytes for high‐voltage lithium metal batteries. This work proposes a quasi‐localized high‐concentration electrolyte (q‐LHCE) by partially replacing solvents in conventional LiPF6 based carbonated electrolyte with fluori...

The solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) in lithium (Li) metal batteries is often heterogeneous, containing a diverse range of species and has poor mechanical stability. The SEI undergoes constant cracking and reconstruction during electrochemical cycling, which is accompanied by the exhaustion of active Li and electrolytes, hindering practical appli...

Viscosity is an extremely important property for ion transport and wettability of electrolytes. Easy access to viscosity values and a deep understanding of this property remain challenging yet critical to evaluating the electrolyte performance and tailoring electrolyte recipes with targeted properties. We proposed a screened overlapping method to e...

Viscosity is an extremely important property for ion transport and wettability of electrolytes. Easy access to viscosity values and a deep understanding of this property remain challenging yet critical to evaluating the electrolyte performance and tailoring electrolyte recipes with targeted properties. We proposed a screened overlapping method to e...

Developing low‐cost and high‐performance transition metal‐based electrocatalysts is crucial for realizing sustainable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media. Here, a cooperative boron and vanadium co‐doped nickel phosphide electrode (B, V‐Ni2P) is developed to regulate the intrinsic electronic configuration of Ni2P and promote HER proc...

The safety problems encountered with lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) hinder their development for practical applications. Herein, a highly thermally conductive separator was constructed by cross‐weaving super‐aligned carbon nanotubes (SA‐C) on super‐aligned boron nitride@carbon nanotubes (SA‐BC) to create a composite film (SA‐BC/SA‐C). This separat...

Exploring advanced strategies in alleviating the thermal runaway of LMBs is critically essential. Herein, a novel electrolyte system with thermoresponsive characteristics is designed to largely enhance the thermal safety of 1.0 Ah LMBs. Specifically, vinyl carbonate (VC) with azodiisobutyronitrile is introduced as a thermoresponsive solvent to boos...

Lithium Ion Batteries. Fast charging of high‐energy Li‐ion batteries is achieved by simultaneously reducing the anode and cathode charge transfer energy barriers through electrolyte engineering, as reported by Chong Yan, Qiang Zhang et al. in their Research Article (e202214828).

Lithium Ion Batteries. Fast charging of high‐energy Li‐ion batteries is achieved by simultaneously reducing the anode and cathode charge transfer energy barriers through electrolyte engineering, as reported by Chong Yan, Qiang Zhang et al. in their Research Article (e202214828).

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage devices because of their ultrahigh theoretical energy density beyond lithium-ion batteries. The cycling stability of Li metal anode largely determines the prospect of practical applications of Li–S batteries. This review systematically summari...

The lifespan of practical lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries is hindered by the incessant formation of inactive Li. Recycling inactive Li is a promising strategy to recover Li inventory yet has never...

Back cover image: Lithium nitrate (LiNO3) additive is a milestone in stabilizing lithium metal anodes for high‐energy‐density batteries. However, the poor solubility of LiNO3 severely hinders its applications. In article number 10.1002/cey2.283, Zhang, Chen, and Zhang et al. proposed the isosorbide nitrate (ISDN) with intrinsically high solubility...

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are deemed as high-promising next-generation energy storage technique due to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density, where the sulfur cathodes with high specific capacity guarantee the energy density advantage and directly determine the battery performances. After decades of exploration, the most promising sulfur...

Lithium Metal Batteries Li metal batteries are considered to be important candidates for use in next-generation systems, including electric vertical take-off and landing, and even electric airplanes. In article number 2202518, Xin-Bing Cheng, Jingfa Li, Qiang Zhang, and co-workers present a comprehensive overview of the failure mechanism and regula...

Lithium (Li) metal batteries promise energy density beyond 400 Wh kg−1, while their practical operation at an extreme temperature below −30°C suffers severe capacity deterioration. Such battery failure highly relates to the remarkably increased kinetic barrier of interfacial processes, including interfacial desolvation, ion transportation, and char...

Extreme fast charging (XFC) of high‐energy Li‐ion batteries is a key enabler of electrified transportation. While previous studies mainly focused on improving Li ion mass transport in electrodes and electrolytes, the limitations of charge transfer across electrode–electrolyte interfaces remain underexplored. Herein we unravel how charge transfer ki...

Long-cycling practical lithium–sulfur batteries are hindered by the parasitic reactions between lithium polysulfide (LiPS) intermediates and lithium metal anodes. Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on lithium metal anodes plays a crucial role in shielding the parasitic reactions of LiPSs. Herein, a lithium oxysulfide-rich SEI is demonstrated to shi...

In this protocol, we describe the quantification of electrolytes using nuclear magnetic resonance. We detail the steps involved for battery cycling, sample preparation, instrument operation, and data analysis. The protocol can be used to quantify electrolyte decomposition reactions and the apparent electron transfer numbers of different electrolyte...

In the pursuit of energy-dense all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSBs), Li-rich Mn-based oxide (LRMO) cathodes provide an exciting path forward with unexpectedly high capacity, low cost, and excellent processibility. However, the cause for LRMO|solid electrolyte interfacial degradation remains a mystery, hindering the application of LRMO-based AS...

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery is strongly considered as one of the most promising energy storage systems due to its high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, the sluggish reduction kinetics from Li2S4 to Li2S during discharge hinders the practical application of Li–S batteries. Although various electrocatalysts have been proposed to im...

Advanced electrolyte design is essential for building high‐energy‐density lithium (Li) batteries, and introducing anions into the Li⁺ solvation sheaths has been widely demonstrated as a promising strategy. However, a fundamental understanding of the critical role of anions in such electrolytes is very lacking. Herein, the anionic chemistry in regul...

Serious safety risks caused by the high reactivity of lithium metal against electrolytes severely hamper the practicability of lithium metal batteries. By introducing unique polymerization site and more fluoride substitution, we built an in situ formed polymer‐rich solid electrolyte interphase upon lithium anode to improve battery safety. The fluor...

The stability of lithium metal anodes essentially dictates the lifespan of high‐energy‐density lithium metal batteries. Lithium nitrate (LiNO3) is widely recognized as an effective additive to stabilize lithium metal anodes by forming LiNxOy‐containing solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, its poor solubility in electrolytes, especially este...

The fundamental understanding of the elusive evolution behavior of the buried solid-solid interfaces is the major barrier to exploring solid-state electrochemical devices. Here, we uncover the interfacial void evolution principles in solid-state batteries, build a solid-state void nucleation and growth model, and make an analogy with the bubble for...