Tellurium Electrochemistry: From Mechanistic Analysis in Diverse Electrolytic Media to Advanced Energy Storage Applications
Tellurium (Te), a significant metalloid element, holds considerable potential in applications including electronic semiconductors, thermoelectric converters, efficient catalysts, and advanced energy storage systems. Nevertheless, the intricate electrochemical behaviors of Te across varied systems remain insufficiently elucidated, involving multiple factors such as redox reaction pathways in different electrolytes, mechanisms of Te nucleation and growth, interfacial reaction dynamics, and interactions with varying charge carriers. This review systematically summarizes the electrochemical characteristics of Te‐based materials in different configurations, aiming to decipher the complexity of kinetic processes and thereby help provide deeper insights toward optimizing the electrodeposition of Te. Then, the correlation between electrodeposition parameters and the resulting structure and morphology of the deposits is elaborated to achieve greater control of composition and morphology. Additionally, this review surveys important aspects of the application of Te in advanced energy storage, secondary batteries, and thin‐film solar cells. A systematic outline of the electrochemical reaction mechanisms in both monovalent and multivalent metal‐ion batteries is presented. By integrating fundamental electrochemical mechanisms, multiscale identification of reaction kinetics, and device‐level application insights, this work establishes a comprehensive framework and practical guidelines for fabricating stable Te‐based materials efficiently while outlining potential future research directions.
Authors
- L Chen
- Jiguo Tu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1118-7897)
- M C Zhang
- R. Vasant Kumar
- Lili Jiang
- Shuqiang Jiao
- Tangkai Wu
Institutions
- Nankai University (CN)
- Lanzhou University of Technology (CN)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- University of Science and Technology Beijing (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Energy & environment materials
- Published
- 2026-05-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/eem2.70406
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Battery Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities