Strain‐Induced Magnetic Ordering Unlocks Spin‐Conserved Catalysis in Lithium‐Oxygen Batteries
Designing advanced ferromagnetic catalysts with robust intrinsic magnetism and efficient spin polarization is critical for enabling spin-selective electron transfer between triplet O<sub>2</sub> and singlet Li<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> in lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs), yet controlling magnetic ordering and spin states at the atomic scale remains a fundamental challenge. Here, we present a lattice tensile strain engineering to construct strained CoS<sub>2</sub> anchored on reduced graphene oxide (s-CoS<sub>2</sub>/rGO), achieving significantly enhanced ferromagnetic exchange interactions and spin polarization. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that a ∼4% tensile strain along the (111) plane induces spontaneous parallel alignment of atomic magnetic moments, generating intrinsic magnetic anisotropy and coherent single-domain architectures. This lattice distortion enhances d-p orbital hybridization and establishes spin-polarized conduction channels at Co─S active sites, enabling parallel-spin electron transfer to adsorbed O<sub>2</sub> and effectively bypassing the spin-flip energy barrier associated with O<sub>2</sub>/Li<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> conversion. As a result, the s-CoS<sub>2</sub>/rGO catalyst exhibits elevated spin-polarized current densities, a markedly reduced O<sub>2</sub> dissociation barrier, and superior catalytic kinetics, delivering ultra-long cycling exceeding 2000 h at 200 mA g<sup>-1</sup>. This work offers a general approach for designing high-performance ferromagnetic catalysts and highlights the critical role of spin-state engineering in advancing next-generation LOB technologies.
Authors
- Zhenkai Zhou
- Boxin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0037-2392)
- Jingxuan Bi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3513-3981)
- Xin Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4595-9296)
- Song He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9403-5188)
- Junhui Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9596-4079)
- Wei Huang
- Wei Ai
- Ke Wang
Institutions
- Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2026-02-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.72632
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Battery Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00