Introducing cosolvent is a common approach in aqueous zinc metal batteries but lack of direct visualization of dynamic interface during Zn-plating/stripping makes mechanistic understanding difficult. Here, authors decouple the interfacial evolution at molecular level and decipher multi-dimensional mechanisms experimentally and theoretically.

Polymer electrolytes are promising but are limited by narrow electrochemical window. Here, authors develop a family of in situ polymerized gel electrolytes with long term stability up to 5.0 V and develop a non-destructive life extension strategy through freezing the cells.

Dendrite growth harms the safety and longevity of Li-ion batteries. Here, authors find that short-term relaxation after lithium plating boosts capacity retention by forming a beneficial solid electrolyte interphase and smoothing morphologies, providing an approach for safe and long-life batteries.

Developing chemistries for positive electrodes with large specific capacities and high operating potentials is highly desirable for aqueous zinc batteries. Here, authors report a reversible Se electrode that undergoes ZnSe↔Se↔SeCl₄ reaction, combined with Br⁻ /Br^{n –} redox couple as Se revitalizer to enhance cycling performance.

The characteristic frequency of electrochemical supercapacitors is limited by ion dynamics of electrical double layer. Here, authors propose a hybrid design of electrochemical and electrolytic capacitors, operating over 44 kHz, that enables it to surpass such limitation.

Coulometric titration time analysis (CTTA) has recently been introduced as a quantitative electrochemical technique to assess the compatibility of Li-ion electrolytes with metallic lithium. Here, the authors outline that the applied stack pressure is a critical factor in influencing CTTA results, highlighting the need for careful stack pressure assessment to perform conclusive CTTA experiments.

Europe’s demand for high-energy batteries is likely to surpass 1.0 TWh per year by 2030, and is expected to further outpace domestic production despite the latter’s ambitious growth. To strengthen Europe’s battery self-sufficiency and competitiveness, policy-makers must accelerate the expansion of production capacity and implement reliable industrial policies that account for sustained demand growth toward and beyond 2030.

Aqueous sulfur-based redox flow batteries (SRFBs) are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage, yet the gap between the required and currently achievable performance has plagued their practical applications. Here, we propose several engineering strategies towards SRFB commercialization.

A non-flammable electrolyte formulation enables long-life and high-energy sodium-based batteries.

Cheaper and more sustainable batteries are key to decarbonize the global energy system, and sodium-ion batteries that use far fewer critical materials are an important option. Research now shows that rapidly improving techno-economics of sodium-ion batteries could soon make them competitive with lithium-ion phosphate batteries under a range of scenarios.