Concrete Soft‐Gel Electrodes with a Unified Instability Criterion for Sustainable Aqueous Batteries

Electrochemical energy storage has long been constrained by the structural instability of solid electrodes and the costly design of liquid-based systems. Here, we report a transformative concrete soft-gel electrode that reconciles mechanical robustness with interfacial fluidity, enabling improved stability in aqueous full batteries. Critically, we uncover the fundamental origin of electrode detachment and propose the Ji-Ran instability criterion, which unifies osmotic pressure, electrokinetic shear, and elastic-adhesive balance into a single quantitative framework. Inspired by structural concrete, the incorporation of BaTiO<sub>3</sub> particles reinforces the soft-gel network, raising elastic modulus, adhesion energy, and interfacial integrity. The resulting full batteries deliver high Coulombic efficiency, mitigated capacity decay, and facile recyclability via water-assisted disassembly. This work establishes a generalizable paradigm for concrete soft-gel electrodes and opens a pathway to sustainable, long-lasting aqueous batteries.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
ChemSusChem
Published
2026-02-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202502586
Primary Topic
Advanced battery technologies research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Concrete Soft‐Gel Electrodes with a Unified Instability Criterion for Sustainable Aqueous Batteries

Haoning Xi, Qinhan Yang, Pei Kong, Kun Zhuang et al.
ChemSusChem
Advanced battery technologies research
article

Concrete Soft‐Gel Electrodes with a Unified Instability Criterion for Sustainable Aqueous Batteries

Haoning Xi, Qinhan Yang, Pei Kong, Kun Zhuang, Jilei Ye, Shengtao Yang, Kaiqiang Zhang, Yuping Wu
article en

Abstract

Electrochemical energy storage has long been constrained by the structural instability of solid electrodes and the costly design of liquid-based systems. Here, we report a transformative concrete soft-gel electrode that reconciles mechanical robustness with interfacial fluidity, enabling improved stability in aqueous full batteries. Critically, we uncover the fundamental origin of electrode detachment and propose the Ji-Ran instability criterion, which unifies osmotic pressure, electrokinetic shear, and elastic-adhesive balance into a single quantitative framework. Inspired by structural concrete, the incorporation of BaTiO<sub>3</sub> particles reinforces the soft-gel network, raising elastic modulus, adhesion energy, and interfacial integrity. The resulting full batteries deliver high Coulombic efficiency, mitigated capacity decay, and facile recyclability via water-assisted disassembly. This work establishes a generalizable paradigm for concrete soft-gel electrodes and opens a pathway to sustainable, long-lasting aqueous batteries.

ChemSusChemVol. 19(4)
Nanjing Tech University (CN)
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 48%
Advanced battery technologies research
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.