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The reliable operation of Li metal batteries suffers from cathode collapse due to high‐voltage cycling, interfacial reactivity of the Li deposits, self‐discharge at the elevated temperatures, as well as the power output deterioration in low‐temperature scenarios. In contrast to the individual electrode optimization, herein, a hetero‐layered separator with an asymmetric functional coating on polyethylene is proposed in response to the aforementioned issues: On the face‐to‐cathode side, the hybrid layer of the molecular sieve and sulfonated melamine formaldehyde can scavenge the hydrofluoric acid and moisture residues from the carbonate electrolyte, maintaining the cathode robustness in both the high‐voltage cycling or high‐temperature storage scenarios; while the pre‐coated Ag2S layer in situ generates the Li10Ag3‐Li2S composite matrix in contact with the Li foil, promoting interfacial ion diffusion and isotropic Li deposition. The as‐constructed LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/Li pouch cell (3.2 Ah) with the hetero‐layered separator can achieve a high energy density of 400.6 Wh kg−1 on the cell level, as well as a wider temperature adaptability (0–75 °C). This asymmetric separator strategy enables facile energy‐dense cell prototyping with the commercial electrode/electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their potential as post lithium‐ion batteries, solid‐state Li‐metal batteries are struggling with insufficient electrochemical sustainability and ambient operation limitations. These challenges mainly stem from lack of reliable solid‐state electrolytes. Here, a new class of single‐ion conducting quasi‐solid‐state soft electrolyte (SICSE) for practical semi‐solid Li‐metal batteries (SSLMBs) is demonstrated. The SICSE consists of an ion‐rectifying compliant skeleton and a nonflammable coordinated electrolyte. Rheology‐tuned SICSE pastes, in combination with UV curing‐assisted multistage printing, allow fabrication of seamlessly integrated SSLMBs (composed of a Li metal anode and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1 cathode) without undergoing high‐pressure/high‐temperature manufacturing steps. The single‐ion conducting capability of the SICSE plays a viable role in stabilizing the interfaces with the electrodes. The resulting SSLMB full cell exhibits stable cycling performance and bipolar configurations with tunable voltages and high gravimetric/volumetric energy densities (476 Wh kgcell−1/1102 Wh Lcell−1 at four‐stacked cells with 16.656 V) under ambient operating conditions, along with low‐temperature performance, mechanical foldability, and nonflammability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries are affected by the anode materials. SnO is an important anode material due to its high theoretical specific capacity of about 783 mAh/g for next-generation lithium-ion batteries with a higher energy density. In this work, we combined the electrochemical advantages of graphene and TiO, and the Ti-doped composites of SnO/reduced graphene oxide as the anode materials were fabricated by a hydrothermal method. To analyze the structure and electrochemical properties, a series of characterizations including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical measurements were performed. The results confirmed that Ti atoms effectively replaced Sn atoms, improving the long-term cycling stability, which exhibited a superior rate capability and maintained a high discharge capacity around 500 mAh/g after 200 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety concerns and the pursuit of high energy density have stimulated the development of high-performance solid-state lithium ion batteries. Therefore, the key component in solid-state lithium batteries, i.e. the solid-state electrolytes, also has attracted tremendous attention due to its non-flammability and good adaptability to high-voltage cathodes/lithium metal anodes. An in-depth understanding of the existing problems of solid-state electrolytes and proposed strategies for addressing these problems is crucial for the efficient design of high-performance solid-state electrolytes. In this review, we systematically summarized the current limitations of composite solid-state electrolytes and efforts to overcome them, and gave some proposals for the future perspectives of solid-state electrolytes with the aim to provide practical guidance for the researchers in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separator is a critical component in lithium ion batteries that is not involved in electrochemical reactions but directly affects the safety and electrochemical properties of batteries. With the higher demand for energy density and the upgrade of battery system, the multifunctionalization of separator is an important development trend on the basis of realizing the traditional functions. Here, we review the development progress of separator materials, new requirements for the separators and the recent studies of functional separators in lithium batteries with respect to their design and mechanism in different battery systems. Future challenges and development directions toward the advancement in multifunctional separators are also discussed for achieving remarkable battery performances. [Display omitted] • To analyze the challenges for separators. • To summarize the progress on multifunctional separators. • To give proposals for the development of multifunctional separators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NCM 622 cathode material was synthesized via a facile microfluidic reactor. • The material has well-developed layered structure, excellent elemental distribution, small size and uniform particles. • The structural stability and cycling performance of the cathode was improved. Ni-rich layered oxides are potential cathode candidate's materials for Li-ion batteries due to their low cost and high energy density. However, it is difficult to reproducibly prepare uniformly distributed element and well-controlled morphology of Ni-rich layered oxide particles. This study develops a continuous microfluidic reaction process to synthesize spherical carbonate precursors (Ni 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 CO 3). The as-synthesized LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 materials exhibit well-defined microsphere morphology, uniform particles size distribution, better thermal stability and homogeneous transition metal distribution, due to the excellent mixing, well mass and heat transfer rate during the microfluidic reaction. Moreover, the as-prepared LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 materials achieve higher initial capacity, excellent electrochemical reversibility and capacity retention than that of the samples prepared by traditional co-precipitation. Therefore, our results demonstrate that microfluidic reaction is a simple and effective synthesis technology for preparing Ni-rich layered cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]