Fundamental Understanding of the Origin of Voltage Hysteresis and the Modification Strategy Towards the Development of Advanced Li/Na‐Ion Batteries

ABSTRACT The pursuit of highly efficient energy storage technique represents the key drive for the global energy structure transformation towards future renewable society. The state‐of‐the‐art Li/Na‐ion secondary battery that relies on the intercalation reaction is now well‐established as the primary technology by the virtue of high energy and power density as well as the environmental benign. Despite the advantage, tremendous effects have been made for the improvement of the electrochemical performance of Li/Na‐ion battery to mitigate the huddle between existing technology and increasing application demand. One of the major challenges lies in the further improvement of the energy efficiency, which is closely related to the voltage hysteresis behavior. The existence of voltage hysteresis could reduce energy output efficiency and accelerates capacity fading thus hindering the practical applications. Due to the voltage hysteresis between charging and discharging, it may induce the part of the energy lost, which decreases the energy conversion efficiency, increases polarization at high rates, intensifies side reactions at high potentials, and reduces the cycle life. At the same time, it also leads to the dendrite growth, promotes gas generation, and increases the risk of thermal runaway. In this review, we systematical outline the previous research on the topic which would contribute to the fundamental understanding of the origination and mechanism of voltage hysteresis. Critical assessments of battery behavior upon cycling are presented in combination with summaries of multiple modification strategies to mitigate the hysteresis in both Li/Na‐ion battery. The remaining problems and future prospectives are also proposed which are expected to facilitate for the rational design of advanced electrode materials. This, in our point of view, could inspire the novel insight into future battery development towards practical application as well.