IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-59563-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Advancing lithium metal electrode beyond 99.9% coulombic efficiency via super-saturated electrolyte with compressed solvation structure

Author

Listed:
  • Wujie Yang

    (Nanjing University
    Nanjing University)

  • Aoyuan Chen

    (Nanjing University
    Nanjing University)

  • Ping He

    (Nanjing University
    Nanjing University)

  • Haoshen Zhou

    (Nanjing University
    Nanjing University)

Abstract

Lithium metal negative electrode is pivotal for advancing high-energy-density lithium batteries. Despite their promise, the inherent poor interfacial stability of electrolytes on lithium metal and the repeated reconstruction of the solid electrolyte interphase lead to continuous consumption of active Li and electrolyte, causing rapid failure of Li metal batteries under practical conditions. Here, we propose compressing the spacing between Li ions and anions to recruit more anions around Li ions, forming tighter solvation clusters, and then achieving the super-saturated electrolyte with a 16 M Li salt concentration in the solvent phase. This compressed solvation structure electrolyte demonstrates enhanced stability towards Li metal negative electrode, attaining more than 99.9% coulombic efficiency in Li||Cu cells and enabling long cycling life in lean-Li Li metal full cells. Designed with a positive electrode material proportion of 68%, our Li metal pouch cell achieves a specific energy of 510.3 Wh kg−1 (based on the total mass of the cell) and maintains stable cycling over 100 cycles.

Suggested Citation

  • Wujie Yang & Aoyuan Chen & Ping He & Haoshen Zhou, 2025. "Advancing lithium metal electrode beyond 99.9% coulombic efficiency via super-saturated electrolyte with compressed solvation structure," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59563-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59563-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59563-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-59563-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59563-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.