Interphase regulation of graphite anodes is indispensable for augmenting the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The resulting solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is crucial in ensuring anode stability, electrolyte compatibility, and efficient charge transfer kinetics, which in turn dictates the cyclability, fast-charging capability, temperature tolerance, and safety of carbon anodes. Continuous research endeavors are deepening our comprehension of the interphasial chemistry, underscoring the imperative to refine the SEI through economically viable and scalable techniques. The ongoing advancement of surface coating techniques involving amorphous carbons or Li-ion conductors, along with electrolyte formulations optimization such as the integration of film-forming additives, has become the cornerstones in regulating the SEI. These innovations are reshaping the landscape of current LIBs by refining the electrode interphase, paving the way to construct more potent and efficient energy storage systems. The relentless drive to optimize the interphase through cutting-edge technologies is central to the future of LIBs, with the ambitious goals of achieving higher energy densities, ensuring safety, and promoting sustainability in energy storage solutions. This review affords a comprehensive overview of the progression in carbon anode development and current status of their industrialization, underscoring the critical role of interphase regulation engineering in advancing the LIB technology.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage devices because of their ultrahigh theoretical energy density beyond lithium-ion batteries. The cycling stability of Li metal anode largely determines the prospect of practical applications of Li–S batteries. This review systematically summarizes the current advances of Li anode protection in Li–S batteries regarding both fundamental understanding and regulation methodology. First, the main challenges of Li metal anode instability are introduced with emphasis on the influence from lithium polysulfides. Then, a timeline with 4 stages is presented to afford an overview of the developing history of this field. Following that, 3 Li anode protection strategies are discussed in detail in aspects of guiding uniform Li plating/stripping, reducing polysulfide concentration in anolyte, and reducing polysulfide reaction activity with Li metal. Finally, 3 viewpoints are proposed to inspire future research and development of advanced Li metal anode for practical Li–S batteries.

Rechargeable lithium batteries with long calendar life are pivotal in the pursuit of non-fossil and wireless society as energy storage devices. However, corrosion has severely plagued the calendar life of lithium batteries. The corrosion in batteries mainly occurs between electrode materials and electrolytes, which results in constant consumption of active materials and electrolytes and finally premature failure of batteries. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of corrosion and developing strategies to inhibit corrosion are imperative for lithium batteries with long calendar life. In this review, different types of corrosion in batteries are summarized and the corresponding corrosion mechanisms are firstly clarified. Secondly, quantitative studies of the loss of lithium in corrosion are reviewed for an in-depth understanding of the mechanism. Thirdly, the recent progress in inhibiting corrosion is demonstrated. Finally, perspectives to further investigate corrosion mechanism and inhibit corrosion are put forward to promote the development of stable lithium batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is considered as a promising energy storage system due to its ultrahigh theoretical energy density of 2,600 Wh·kg⁻¹. Redox mediation strategies have been proposed to promote the sluggish sulfur redox kinetics. Nevertheless, the applicability of redox mediators in practical high-energy-density Li-S batteries has seldomly been manifested. In this work, 5,7,12,14-pentacenetetrone (PT) is proposed as an effective redox mediator to promote the sulfur redox kinetics under practical working conditions. A high initial specific discharge capacity of 993 mAh·g⁻¹ is achieved at 0.1 C with high-sulfur-loading cathodes of 4.0 mg_S·cm⁻² and low electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratio of 5 μL·mg_S⁻¹. More importantly, practical Li-S pouch cells with the PT mediator realize an actual initial energy density of 344 Wh·kg⁻¹ and cycle stably for 20 cycles wih a high capacity retention of 88%. This work proposes an effective redox mediator and further verifies the redox mediation strategy for practical high-energy-density Li-S batteries.

Dendrite growth of lithium (Li) metal anode severely hinders its practical application, while the situation becomes more serious at low temperatures due to the sluggish kinetics of Li-ion diffusion. This perspective is intended to clearly understand the energy chemistry of low-temperature Li metal batteries (LMBs). The low-temperature chemistries between LMBs and traditional Li-ion batteries are firstly compared to figure out the features of the low-temperature LMBs. Li deposition behaviors at low temperatures are then discussed concerning the variation in Li-ion diffusion behaviors and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) features. Subsequently, the strategies to enhance the diffusion kinetics of Li ions and suppress dendrite growth including designing electrolytes and electrode/electrolyte interfaces are analyzed. Finally, conclusions and outlooks are drawn to shed lights on the future design of high-performance low-temperature LMBs.

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) constitutes the core process of many energy storage and conversion devices including metal–air batteries and fuel cells. However, the kinetics of ORR is very sluggish and thus high-performance ORR electrocatalysts are highly regarded. Despite recent progress on minimizing the ORR half-wave potential as the current evaluation indicator, in-depth quantitative kinetic analysis on overall ORR electrocatalytic performance remains insufficiently emphasized. In this paper, a quantitative kinetic analysis method is proposed to afford decoupled kinetic information from linear sweep voltammetry profiles on the basis of the Koutecky–Levich equation. Independent parameters regarding exchange current density, electron transfer number, and electrochemical active surface area can be respectively determined following the proposed method. This quantitative kinetic analysis method is expected to promote understanding of the electrocatalytic effect and point out further optimization direction for ORR electrocatalysis.