Intramolecular Polarization‐Mediated Solvation and Interphase Engineering for Low‐Temperature High‐Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries

ABSTRACT Simultaneously achieving stable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) under cryogenic and high‐voltage conditions remains a fundamental challenge due to uncontrolled interfacial chemistry at lithium anodes and nickel‐rich cathodes. Here, we report an intramolecular polarization strategy that jointly regulates Li + solvation dynamics, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) stress dissipation. An intramolecularly polarized electrolyte featuring orthogonally arranged electron donor–acceptor moieties with a dipole moment (∼4.2 D) establishes a potential–dependent solvation screening effect, reducing Li + desolvation energy to 38.1 kJ mol −1 , while enabling anodic stability beyond 5.3 V. The tailored solvation chemistry induces spontaneous formation of dual–gradient interphases composed of a LiF–rich SEI and a boroxane–incorporated CEI with an interface modulus ∼20 nN. Consequently, Li||Li symmetric cells exhibit stable cycling over 16 000 h with a minimal polarization of 8.3 mV. Full cells employing LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cathodes retain 90% capacity after 1000 cycles at 4.5 V and maintain 80% at 4.9 V. 3 Ah pouch cells achieve a high energy density of 509 Wh kg −1 at 30°C with 96.8% capacity retention after 80 cycles, while delivering 439.1 Wh kg −1 at −30°C. This work establishes a molecular polarization paradigm for electrolyte and interphase engineering toward high–energy–density LMBs under extreme conditions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74260
Primary Topic
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Intramolecular Polarization‐Mediated Solvation and Interphase Engineering for Low‐Temperature High‐Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries

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Advanced Materials
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
article

Intramolecular Polarization‐Mediated Solvation and Interphase Engineering for Low‐Temperature High‐Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries

Ming Xu, Kai Jia, Weijiang Xue, Zhenjiang Cao, Kai Xi, Na Li, Weiwei Li, Shujiang Ding, Yujia He, Zhengqian Jin, R. Vasant Kumar, Chunli Liu, Wei Tang, Pengfei Li
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Simultaneously achieving stable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) under cryogenic and high‐voltage conditions remains a fundamental challenge due to uncontrolled interfacial chemistry at lithium anodes and nickel‐rich cathodes. Here, we report an intramolecular polarization strategy that jointly regulates Li + solvation dynamics, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) stress dissipation. An intramolecularly polarized electrolyte featuring orthogonally arranged electron donor–acceptor moieties with a dipole moment (∼4.2 D) establishes a potential–dependent solvation screening effect, reducing Li + desolvation energy to 38.1 kJ mol −1 , while enabling anodic stability beyond 5.3 V. The tailored solvation chemistry induces spontaneous formation of dual–gradient interphases composed of a LiF–rich SEI and a boroxane–incorporated CEI with an interface modulus ∼20 nN. Consequently, Li||Li symmetric cells exhibit stable cycling over 16 000 h with a minimal polarization of 8.3 mV. Full cells employing LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cathodes retain 90% capacity after 1000 cycles at 4.5 V and maintain 80% at 4.9 V. 3 Ah pouch cells achieve a high energy density of 509 Wh kg −1 at 30°C with 96.8% capacity retention after 80 cycles, while delivering 439.1 Wh kg −1 at −30°C. This work establishes a molecular polarization paradigm for electrolyte and interphase engineering toward high–energy–density LMBs under extreme conditions.

Advanced Materials
University of Cambridge (GB), Energy Storage Systems (United States) (US), Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
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