Xin-Bing Cheng

• Ph.D
• Professor at Southeast University

All‐solid‐state Li metal batteries (ASSLMBs) with sulfide solid‐state electrolytes (SSEs) are anticipated to be the next‐generation energy storage technology, potentially providing high energy density meanwhile enhancing safety. However, the complicated solid–solid interface between SSEs and Li metal leads to contact issues and Li dendrite. In this...

Solvents in liquid and gel polymer electrolytes are recognized for contributing to high ionic conductivity in high‐energy‐density lithium metal batteries. However, parasitic reactions involving solvents and lithium metal induce safety risks under thermal abuse conditions and poor lifespan during room‐temperature cycles, which are rarely investigate...

Low‐ionic conductivity within high‐loading cathode has greatly limited the application of solid polymer electrolytes in rechargeable batteries. Herein, solid polymer electrolyte with a three‐dimensionally conducting network is obtained by in situ polymerization of vinyl ethylene carbonate (VEC) with the aid of dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPHA)...

Practical application of Li metal anodes (LMAs) is restricted by growth of Li dendrites. Achieving uniform Li deposition with high practically available specific capacity is vital to obtain advanced LMAs. Herein, an ultralight V2CTx/bacterial cellulose (U‐V2CTx/BC) foam with a volume density of 0.039 g cm⁻³ is guided by tertiary butanol to avoid re...

Aqueous rechargeable potassium‐ion batteries have considerable advantages and potentials in the application of large‐scale energy storage systems, owing to its high safety, abundant potassium resources, and environmental friendliness. However, the practical applications are fraught with numerous challenges. Identification of suitable cathode materi...

The high-activity lithium metal anode limits the practical application of lithium-sulfur batteries in terms of both electrochemical performance and thermal safety. Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) as a physical barrier between...

Hard carbon is a promising anode for commercial sodium-ion batteries, but suffers from significant plateau capacity loss at high current densities, limiting its use in sodium-ion hybrid capacitors. To address...

Dendrite growth of lithium (Li) metal anodes is considered as one of the most tough issues for Li metal batteries with a theoretically high energy density. This is attributed to the rapid exhaustion of Li ions at the electrode/electrolyte interface, which is even worse at low temperatures with poor diffusion kinetics of Li ions. Here, pulse charge...

SiOx with high theoretical capacity is regarded as a promising high‐performance anode material for lithium‐ion batteries. The main problem is the dramatic volume expansion after lithiation and the inherent poor conductivity. Tackling these problems, extensive strategies are proposed for SiOx‐based anode materials in order to pursue high initial Cou...

Biomass‐derived materials generally exhibit uniform and highly‐stable hierarchical porous structures that can hardly be achieved by conventional chemical synthesis and artificial design. When used as electrodes for rechargeable batteries, these structural and compositional advantages often endow the batteries with superior electrochemical performan...

Lithium (Li) metal is considered as a promising anode material for high‐energy batteries; yet, its practical application is hindered by uncontrolled Li dendrite growth, especially at a high rate. Herein, a dual conductive gradient V2CTx/MoO3 (DG‐V2CTx/MoO3) host that integrates electronic/ionic conductive gradients and lithiophilicity is prepared b...

As the energy storage sector gains prominence, sodium batteries have garnered attention due to their affordability and the abundance of raw materials. Among the methods aimed at enhancing sodium battery performance, electrolyte additives are notably cost‐effective. Despite typically comprising no more than 5% of the components, these additives play...

For the three-dimensional conductive host, the uneven lithium deposition and the dependence on the pore structure and lithiophility are a great challenge for lithium metal anodes. Herein, we employed facial chemical etching techniques on brass foil to fabricate three-dimensional copper hosts with diverse pore structures and lithiophilities, thus in...

Correction for ‘Advanced bifunctional catalyst design for rechargeable zinc–air batteries’ by Tao Wang et al., EES. Catal., 2024, https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ey00014e.

Anodes with high capacity and long lifespan play an important role in the advanced batteries. However, none of the existing anodes can meet these two requirements simultaneously. Lithium (Li)–graphite composite anode presents great potential in balancing these two requirements. Herein, the working mechanism of Li–graphite composite anode is compreh...

Zinc–air batteries have attracted more attention due to their high energy density, high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Nevertheless, sluggish oxygen reaction kinetics at the air electrode seriously compromises their power density and cycling stability. As one of the main components, the catalyst significantly impacts the performa...

Solid‐state lithium‐ion batteries are widely accepted as the promising next‐generation energy storage technology due to higher energy density and improved safety compared to conventional lithium‐ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. Large‐area solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) films with adequate thickness control, improved ionic conductivity, and go...

All-solid state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs) with high energy density using lithium metal anodes (LMAs) and high safety all-solid-state electrolytes (ASSEs) are considered as a good choice for the next...

Two-dimensional (2D) metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are attracting increasing attention as promising electrode materials with fast ion/electron transport due to their ultrahigh electrical conductivities and layered structures. However, their...

The Li metal anode emerges as a formidable competitor among anode materials for lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) batteries; nevertheless, safety issues pose a significant hurdle in its path toward commercial viability. This review enumerates three historical challenges inherent to the Li metal anode: unavoidable volume expansion, multifunctional solid electro...

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...

Sluggish reaction kinetics and severe shuttling effect of lithium polysulfides seriously hinder the development of lithium‐sulfur batteries. Heterostructures, due to unique properties, have congenital advantages that are difficult to be achieved by single‐component materials in regulating lithium polysulfides by efficient catalysis and strong adsor...

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...

With the increasing development of digital devices and electric vehicles, high energy-density rechargeable batteries are strongly required. As one of the most promising anode materials with an ultrahigh specific capacity and extremely low electrode potential, lithium metal is greatly considered an ideal candidate for next-generation battery systems...

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 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...

Comprehensive analyses on thermal runaway mechanisms are critically vital to achieve the safe lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. The reactions between dissolved higher-order polysulfides and Li metal were found to be the origins for the thermal runaway of 1.0 Ah cycled Li–S pouch cells. 16-cycle pouch cell indicates high safety, heating from 30 to 30...

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...

Lithium metal battery has been considered as one of the potential candidates for next‐generation energy storage systems. However, the dendrite growth issue in Li anodes results in low practical energy density, short lifespan, and poor safety performance. The strategies in suppressing Li dendrite growth are mostly conducted in materials‐level coin c...

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 reactions among lithium metal anode, cathode, and electrolyte contribute to the origin of thermal runaway of Li metal batteries. In this contribution, polyethylene glycol (PEG) is adopted as an effective thermal safety modifier to reduce the reactions between cell components. The heat release and the initial exothermic peak for cell components...

Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs) are a promising next-generation fuel cell due to their low cost and rapid start-up, posing a significant challenge to electrode materials with high electrocatalytic activity. Herein, we reported the bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanotubes ([email protected]) prepared by carefully c...

High‐energy‐density lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are widely accepted as promising next‐generation energy storage systems. However, the safety features of practical LMBs are rarely explored quantitatively. Herein, the thermal runaway behaviors of a 3.26 Ah (343 Wh kg−1) Li | LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 pouch cell in the whole life cycle are quantitatively...

Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs) are a promising next-generation fuel cell due to their low cost and rapid start-up, posing a significant challenge to electrode materials with high electrocatalytic activity. Herein, we reported the bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanotubes (NiFe@CNTs) prepared by carefully controlli...

A quantitative relationship between safety issues and dendritic lithium (Li) has been rarely investigated yet. Herein the thermal stability of Li deposits with distinct surface area against non-aqueous electrolyte in pouch-type Li metal batteries is probed. The thermal runaway temperatures of Li metal batteries obtained by accelerating rate calorim...

Lithium metal anode has become a favorable candidate for next-generation rechargeable batteries. However, the unstable interface between lithium metal and electrolyte leads to the growth of dendrites, resulting in the low Coulombic efficiency and even the safety concerns. Herein, a rigid-flexible dual-layer vermiculite nanosheet (VN) based organic-...

The uniformity of current density distribution upon electrodes is one of the most important factors determining the lithium dendrites growth and cycling performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Herein, current density distributions of lithium metal anodes induced by various engineering factors, consisting of uneven cathode, electrolyte distri...

The pursuit of sustainable energy has a great request for advanced energy storage devices. Lithium metal batteries are regarded as a potential electrochemical storage system because of the extremely high capacity and the most negative electrochemical potential of lithium metal anode. Dead lithium formed in the stripping process significantly contri...

Carbonaceous materials are regarded as a promising anode material for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) due to their high electronic conductivity, abundant resources and low cost. However, relatively low storage capacity and structural instability still hinder their practical application. Herein, high sulfur-doped hard carbon (SHC-3) with a sulfur up...

Lithium metal batteries with theoretically high energy density are strongly considered as a potential electrochemical storage system. Dead lithium formed in the stripping process of lithium metal anode significantly hinders the practical applications. This review comprehensively summarizes the current research status about the stripping electrochem...

Solid‐state lithium metal batteries are regarded to be the ultimate choice for future energy storage systems due to their high theoretical energy density and safety. However, the practical applications of solid‐state batteries are hindered by severe interfacial issues, such as high interfacial resistance, inferior electro‐/chemical compatibility, a...

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are highly considered as promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems. However, routine electrolytes cannot tolerate the high potential at cathodes and low potential at anodes simultaneously, leading to severe interfacial reactions. Herein, a highly concentrated electrolyte (HCE) region trapped in p...

Lithium ion battery has achieved great success in portable electronics and even recently electronic vehicles since its commercialization in 1990s. However, lithium‐ion batteries are confronted with several issues in terms of the sustainable development such as the high price of raw materials and electronic products, the emerging safety accidents, e...

Solid‐state lithium (Li) metal batteries (SSLMBs) have become a research hotspot in the energy storage field due to the much‐enhanced safety and high energy density. However, the SSLMBs suffer from failures including dendrite‐induced short circuits and contact‐loss‐induced high impedance, which are highly related to the Li plating/stripping kinetic...

Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) plays a critical role in determining the performance of lithium metal batteries. Herein, the formation mechanisms of SEI are investigated based on electrolytes with two frequently...

The Cover Feature illustrates a slurry coated solid‐state sulfur/sulfide cathode capable of the large‐scale fabrication for all‐solid‐state lithium–sulfur batteries. After the screening of solvents, the compatibility of sulfide electrolytes with elemental sulfur is achieved in organic solvents, and a practical lithium–sulfur pouch cell with conside...

Sulfide solid electrolytes offer great opportunities to construct solid-state Li metal batteries with high energy density. The high ionic conductivity of well-developed sulfide electrolytes enables solid-state battery to operate at high current rates. However, sulfide electrolytes exhibit severe decomposition in working cells, constituting a signif...

Lithium (Li) metal is among the most promising anode materials in next-generation high-energy-density energy-storage-systems due to its ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity of 3860 mAh g ⁻¹ and low negative electrochemical potential (−3.040 V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode). However, Li dendrite growth, “dead Li” formation and unstable soli...

Lithium (Li) metal batteries are strongly considered one of the most promising candidates for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacity and low reduction potential. However, Li metal anodes are suffering from limited cycle life, low cycling efficiency, and severe safety concerns resulting from sharp Li d...

All‐solid‐state lithium‐sulfur batteries are strongly considered as the most promising next‐generation electrochemical energy storage systems due to their high safety and energy density. However, in view of practical application, it is difficult to obtain large‐scale solid‐state sulfur cathode continuously. Herein we achieve the large‐scale fabrica...

Die Abscheidungsmorphologie der Lithiummetallanode beeinflusst die Lebensdauer von Lithiumbatterien. In ihrer Zuschrift (DOI: 10.1002/ange.202000375) schlagen Q. Zhang et al. einen Mechanismus vor, bei dem die Art und Weise der Lithiumabscheidung durch ihren geschwindigkeitsbestimmenden Schritt kontrolliert wird: Während ein diffusionskontrollierte...

The deposition morphology of the lithium metal anode impacts the lifespan of lithium batteries. In their Communication (DOI: 10.1002/anie.202000375), Q. Zhang and co‐workers propose a diffusion–reaction competition mechanism. Depending on the rate‐determining step of lithium deposition, different lithium deposition scenarios can be achieved: While...

Lithium metal is recognized as one of the most promising anode materials owing to its ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity and low electrochemical potential. Nonetheless, dendritic Li growth has dramatically hindered the practical applications of Li metal anodes. Realizing spherical Li deposition is an effective approach to avoid Li dendrite gro...

Sphere factor: A diffusion–reaction competition mechanism reveals the principle of spherical Li deposition. By controlling the rate‐determining step of Li deposition, different Li deposition scenarios are revealed, in which the diffusion‐controlled process tends to give dendritic Li deposition while the reaction‐controlled process leads to spherica...

In article number 1903645, Qiang Zhang and co‐workers describe the failure mechanism of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on a Li metal anode based on a quantitative electrochemical‐mechanical model. The impacts of structural uniformity and mechanical strength on the stability of the SEI under different working conditions are revealed. Theoretic...

Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are widely considered as an “enabler” to inhibit dendrite growth of lithium metal anodes for high-energy and highly safe next-generation batteries. However, recent studies demonstrated that lithium dendrites form in working SSEs. Theoretically, dendrite inhibition can be achieved in the perfect SSEs without any defec...

Practical application of lithium (Li) metal anodes has been hindered by Li dendrite growth, which renders a low Coulombic efficiency and short lifespan of working Li metal batteries. A stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is crucial in suppressing the formation of Li dendrites. Herein the local stress and deformation evolvement status of a SEI...

Lithium metal is among the most promising anode candidate of the high-energy battery. However, the formed dendrites result in low Coulombic efficiency and serious security issues. Designing lithiophilic sites is one of the effective strategies to control Li deposition. Herein, we propose a three-dimensional lithiophilic N-rich carbon nanofibers wit...

Inherent technical challenges of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have been arising from intrinsic redox electrochemistry occurring on Li and S electrodes that can significantly deteriorate S utilization and life cycle. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials composed of atomic or near-atomic thickness with infinite lateral dimension have been proven to...

The demand of ecological development and the shortage of oil reserve drive the electronic vehicles as a main direction of the automobile industry. Among all the components of electric vehicles, the power battery is a decisive one that restricts the drive range and the large-scale application of electric vehicles. However, currently, the energy/powe...

Lithium (Li) metal anodes exhibits the potential to enable rechargeable Li batteries with a high energy density. However, the irreversible plating and stripping behaviors of Li metal anodes with high reactivity and dendrite growth when matching different cathodes in working cells are not fully understood yet. Herein the working manner of very thin...

All-solid-state lithium–sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) afford a novel avenue for next-generation high energy density lithium–sulfur batteries due to the alleviated potential safety hazards. However, ASSLSBs suffer from high interfacial impedance and poor kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Herein, we probed the interfacial electron transfer between...

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising anode materials to construct next‐generation rechargeable batteries owing to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity and the lowest electrochemical potential. Unfortunately, practical application of Li metal batteries is severely hindered by short lifespan and safety concerns caused by Li dendrite growth d...

Lithium‐metal anodes are strongly considered as the high capacity electrodes for next‐generation high‐energy‐density batteries. In article number 1800354, Qiang Zhang and co‐workers describe atomically dispersed lithiophilic CoNx sites (wonderful flute created by the artist) to guide Li (the animals) nucleation. This contributes a remarkable electr...

Lithium (Li) metal is regarded as a “Holy Grail” electrode for next‐generation high‐energy‐density batteries. However, the electrochemical behavior of the Li anode under a practical working state is poorly understood, leading to a gap in the design strategy and the aim of efficient Li anodes. The electrochemical diagram to reveal failure mechanisms...

It has been a long pursuit for the adoption of the lithium (Li) metal anode because of its extremely high specific capacity and the lowest electrochemical equilibrium potential. However, the practical implement of Li anode is severely hindered by the unstable interfaces stemming from its ultrahigh reactivity, which directly dictates a low Coulombic...

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage. However, the inherent challenges of Li metal anode, such as uncontrollable dendrite growth, unstable Li/electrolyte interfaces, and infinite volume changes, induce severe safety hazards and inferior cyclic stability, dragging the...

Alkali metal electrodes (including lithium (Li), sodium (Na), and potassium (K)) have been strongly considered as prom-ising candidates for next-generation batteries beyond lithium ion batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacities and very low electrochemical potentials. However, all alkali metal anodes are susceptible to dendrite gro...

The stability of a battery is strongly depended on the feature of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The electrical double layer forms prior to the formation of SEI at the interface between Li metal anode and electrolyte. The fundamental understanding on the regulation of the SEI structure and stability on Li surface through structure of electrica...

Lithium metal has been considered as a “Holy Grail” anode for rechargeable batteries due to its ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity and the most negative electrochemical potential. Sodium and potassium, the alkali metals that are more abundant in the earth's crust are also regarded as candidates for next-generation anode materials, considering...

In article number 1808392, Jia‐Qi Huang and co‐workers develop a single‐ion‐conducting interface consisting of a dual‐layer architecture to protect lithium‐metal anodes. The artificial interface regulates a homogeneous ionic and electric field distribution and simultaneously brings a superior mechanical feature at the surface of the lithium‐metal a...

Lithium metal is among the most promising anode materials in next-generation energy-storage systems. However, the practical applications of lithium metal batteries have been severely hindered by the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites. If the mechanisms behind the lithium dendrite growth behavior are well understood and the critical conditio...

Thin artificial solid electrolyte coatings are effective to enhance the electrochemical performances and safety issues of lithium (Li) metal anode. However, massive and efficient fabrication of artificial protection layers on Li metal anode surface remains challenging. Herein, we describe a sandwiched Li metal anode fabricated through a continuous...

The lithium (Li) metal anode is confronted by severe interfacial issues that strongly hinder its practical deployment. The unstable interfaces directly induce unfavorable low cycling efficiency, dendritic Li deposition, and even strong safety concerns. An advanced artificial protective layer with single‐ion pathways holds great promise for enabling...

The uncontrollable growth of lithium (Li) dendrites seriously impedes practical applications of Li metal batteries. Various lithiophilic conductive frameworks, especially carbon hosts, are used to guide uniform Li nucleation and thus deliver a dendrite-free composite anode. However, the lithiophilic nature of these carbon hosts is poorly understood...

Safe lithium (Li) metal batteries have been plagued by dendrite growth due to heterogeneous solid electrolyte interphases (SEI) on Li metal anode. Modulating the solvation sheath of Li ions enhances the uniformity and stability of SEI significantly. However, anion regulation in solvation sheath for constructing stable SEI is rarely touched. Herein,...

Li metal is extensively focused because of its ultra-high theoretical capacity (3,860 mAh g⁻¹, 10 times higher than that of graphite) and the most negative electrochemical potential (−3.040 V versus standard hydrogen electrode). Relative to non-aqueous electrolyte, solid-state electrolyte exhibits enhanced safety. Therefore, the marriage of Li meta...

Lithium (Li) metal‐based battery is among the most promising candidates for next‐generation rechargeable high‐energy‐density batteries. Carbon materials are strongly considered as the host of Li metal to relieve the powdery/dendritic Li formation and large volume change during repeated cycles. Herein, we describe the formation of a thin lithiophili...

Lithium metal constitutes promising anode materials but suffers from dendrite growth. Lithiophilic host materials are highly considered for achieving uniform lithium deposition. Precise construction of lithiophilic sites with desired structure and homogeneous distribution significantly promotes the lithiophilicity of lithium hosts but remains a gre...