SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3599-5
Layered transition metal tellurides (TMTs) are promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their graphite-like layered structure and weak van der Waals interactions, which facilitate rapid ion transport. However, their holistic performance—specific capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability—remains insufficient for practical applications. Here, we report a straightforward NaBH4-assisted chemical etching method to introduce abundant Te vacancies on the surface of Bi2Te3 (denoted H-Bi2Te3). Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that these Te vacancies refine the band structure, enhance electrical conductivity, and significantly reduce the diffusion barrier for Zn2+ ions. Additionally, the vacancies provide increased storage sites for Zn ions. Consequently, H-Bi2Te3 exhibits superior zinc storage performance: a high Zn2+ diffusion coefficient of 3.98×10−11 cm2 s−1, a specific capacity of 325 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, a rate capability of 217 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1, and exceptional cycling stability with 70 mAh g−1 retained after 10,000 cycles at 1 A g−1. This work introduces a novel vacancy defect engineering strategy for TMT-based cathodes in AZIBs and expands the potential applications of vacancy-rich TMT materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3944-9
Hard carbon (HC) is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) but suffers from low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Here, we report a dual-functional strategy combining surface engineering and solution chemical pre-sodiation. A graphitic carbon coating on HC acts as a conductive buffer network and shields surface defects, while sodium biphenyl (Na-Bp) pre-sodiation drives sodium ions into the material via a potential difference, inducing a pre-SEI layer that matures into a thin, dense, NaF-rich inorganic SEI during cycling. This approach compensates for irreversible sodium loss and enhances cycling stability. The pre-sodiated electrode (pCH4-HC) achieves an ICE of 99.5% and a reversible capacity of 321.7 mAh g−1, compared to 54.2% for untreated HC. Long-term cycling shows 74.0% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 300 mA g−1. In full-cells with NaNi1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3O2 (NFM) cathode, pCH4-HC||NFM delivers 81.9 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles, demonstrating excellent stability and rate performance. This dual-strategy approach validates the adaptability of pre-sodiation technology for high-performance SIBs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3301-6
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for grid-scale energy storage, but the H2V3O8 cathode suffers from poor electrical conductivity, vanadium dissolution, and structural instability, limiting rate performance and cycling stability. A polypyrrole-coated H2V3O8 composite (H2V3O8@Ppy) was developed. Density functional theory calculations reveal that Ppy interacts with HVO3 species with a binding energy of −1.97 eV, significantly stronger than with hydrated Zn2+ ions (−0.205 eV). This selective interaction enables the Ppy coating to capture dissolved HVO3 while permitting efficient transport of solvated Zn2+ ion clusters, thereby preventing structural degradation. The optimized H2V3O8@Ppy cathode delivers an initial capacity of 405 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and maintains nearly 100% capacity retention after 800 cycles at 2 A g−1. A quasi-solid-state AZIB incorporating this cathode exhibits excellent mechanical flexibility and superior long-term cycling performance. In situ XRD analysis reveals a two-step phase transformation mechanism of H2V3O8 during discharge/charge processes. This study presents an effective strategy for enhancing the structural stability of H2V3O8 cathodes in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3351-2
Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) face critical barriers of inferior cycling stability and safety hazards from uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth. This study constructs a multifunctional hybrid protection layer of Li3Bi/LiF via spontaneous reduction between Li and BiF3. The lithiophilic Li3Bi serves as nucleation seeds to reduce the nucleation barrier and guide uniform Li deposition, while LiF with high ionic conductivity promotes Li+ diffusion kinetics and homogenizes Li+ flux during plating/stripping. The BiF3-Li symmetric cell exhibits excellent Li plating/stripping behavior over 2500 h at 3 mA cm−2 for 3 mAh cm−2 with a low voltage hysteresis of 60 mV. The BiF3-Li||LiFePO4 full cell demonstrates a remarkable capacity retention of 73% after 1700 cycles at 1 C. This work provides a facile strategy for developing multifunctional artificial interlayers and offers valuable insights for the design and fabrication of high-performance LMBs.