Prof. AN Linlin | Publications & Academic Profile | SinoGreenTech

Research Publications & English Decoded Briefs

Showing 3 publications

SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3602-1

Low-Temperature-Resilient Polymer Electrolytes for High-Performance Quasi-Solid Lithium Batteries

Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) are promising next-generation energy storage systems due to their high safety and energy density. However, poor low-temperature performance of solid-state electrolytes remains a critical challenge. Here, we present a facile and scalable approach for synthesizing a low-temperature-resilient polymer electrolyte based on ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), leveraging its unique molecular structure for enhanced lithium-ion transport. The EVA polymer electrolyte (EPE) demonstrates a high ionic conductivity of 5.13×10−4 S cm−1 at room temperature and retains a remarkable conductivity of 2.72×10−5 S cm−1 at −40 °C. This superior performance is attributed to the synergistic interaction between the ester functional groups of EVA and lithium salts, which reduces the ion dissociation energy barrier and facilitates efficient ion migration. The EPE enables stable lithium plating/stripping cycling for over 3000 h at −40 °C and supports long-term cycling of LiFePO4-based full cells at −40 °C for over 900 cycles. This work highlights the potential of cost-effective, scalable EPEs for next-generation SSLBs, particularly in extreme environmental conditions.

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SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3880-8

Interface Engineering of Cu/Cu2O Nanowires on Cu Foam: Boosting C–H Bond Cleavage and Suppressing OH− Adsorption for Efficient Formaldehyde Electrooxidation

Formaldehyde oxidation reaction (FOR) demonstrates significant potential in energy conversion and chemical synthesis, yet developing catalysts for efficient operation at high current densities remains a challenge. Herein, we fabricated a Cu/Cu2O heterostructure nanowire catalyst on copper foam (Cu/Cu2O@CF) via interface engineering and investigated its FOR performance. Electrochemical tests show that Cu/Cu2O@CF exhibits excellent activity: it achieves 100 mA cm−2 at an ultra-low potential of −0.05 V (vs. RHE), outperforming most reported catalysts. Notably, this catalyst overcomes the deactivation limitation of conventional Cu-based catalysts above 0.5 V, maintaining a current density of 735 mA cm−2 at 0.6 V with excellent stability during long-term electrolysis. SCN−-induced Cu0 poisoning experiments confirm that Cu/Cu2O@CF retains a Cu/Cu2O mixed structure at 0.6 V, where Cu0-Cu+ synergy dominates its high activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal two key advantages of this structure: it weakens OH− adsorption to avoid active site occupation, and reduces C–H bond cleavage barriers while promoting H* combination into H2. Product analysis shows Faradaic efficiencies for formate and H2 production are both ~100%. When coupled with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the system's hydrogen production energy consumption is as low as 0.57 kWh m−3 H2, much lower than traditional water electrolysis. This work elucidates the regulatory mechanism of interface engineering on the FOR performance of Cu-based catalysts, expands the application of Cu-based heterostructures in high-current FOR, and guides the development of industrial-grade electrocatalysts.

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SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3439-7

Solution viscosity-governed phase separation and aggregation kinetics enable high-efficiency, eco-friendly slot-die coated organic solar cells

Slot-die coating with halogen-free solvents is a promising scalable fabrication strategy for organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the complex interplay between long-timescale solute diffusion and microstructural evolution during the coating process remains poorly understood, limiting further optimization of morphology and device performance. In this study, we elucidate the critical role of solution viscosity in regulating phase separation and aggregation kinetics. Specifically, lower solution viscosity enhances solute diffusion, accelerating molecular aggregation while suppressing liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Notably, we observe that in three different systems with varying crystallinity and immiscibility (PM6:Y6, PTQ10:Y6, and D18:Y6), the optimal processing conditions for peak device efficiency consistently correspond to a nearly identical solution viscosity (~0.8 mPa s), despite variations in optimal processing temperatures. In situ characterizations reveal that at this viscosity, all three systems exhibit constrained LLPS and rapid molecular aggregation, promoting the formation of finely structured, continuous nanoscale domains. These findings establish solution viscosity as a universal governing parameter for morphology control in printed active layers. By providing a fundamental framework for understanding viscosity-mediated phase separation, this work offers valuable insights for advancing high-throughput, environmentally friendly printing techniques for high-efficiency OSCs.

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