Enabling Durable, Subzero Li/Na‐Metal Batteries with Scalable, In Situ Ultrathin Polymerized Electrolytes

ABSTRACT Solid polymer electrolytes are promising for high‐energy‐density alkali metal batteries but are hindered by excessive thickness, insufficient interfacial contact, and uncontrolled dendrite growth. Herein, we introduce a scalable in situ polymerization strategy to fabricate ultrathin (∼10 µm) yet robust solid‐like polymer electrolytes (SPE‐Na and SPE‐Li) that simultaneously enable rapid ion transport and intimate interfacial integration. Ion transport is dominated by fast migration through solvent‐rich pathways while the polymer matrix ensures mechanical integrity. To stabilize metal electrodes, potassium perfluorobutane sulfonate is introduced to form SPEs, where K + provides dynamic electrostatic shielding to suppress dendrite formation, while fluorine‐containing species promote LiF/NaF‐rich, inorganic‐reinforced interphases. The optimized SPE‐0.05K‐Na and SPE‐0.02K‐Li showed high of ∼0.5 and ionic conductivities of ∼4.78 × 10 −4 and ∼4.87 × 10 −4 S cm −1 . Consequently, Li||Li and Na||Na symmetric cells achieved stable cycling for 4000 h (0.5 mA cm −2 ) and 1800 h (0.2 mA cm −2 ), respectively. Full cells operated reliably under rigorous conditions, such as elevated mass loadings (e.g., 20.0 mg LFP cm −2 , 20.2 mg LCO cm −2 , 14.3 mg NCM cm −2 , and 7.2 mg NVP cm −2 ), subzero temperatures (−20°C), and Ah‐level pouch cells. This work integrates interface engineering with ultrathin electrolyte design to advance practical, low‐temperature, and high‐energy‐density batteries.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Energy Materials
Published
2026-07-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.71342
Primary Topic
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Enabling Durable, Subzero Li/Na‐Metal Batteries with Scalable, In Situ Ultrathin Polymerized Electrolytes

Shuo Niu, Chao Fang, Bing-Ang Mei, Jing Yu et al.
Advanced Energy Materials
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
article

Enabling Durable, Subzero Li/Na‐Metal Batteries with Scalable, In Situ Ultrathin Polymerized Electrolytes

Shuo Niu, Chao Fang, Bing-Ang Mei, Jing Yu, Dengjie Chen, W Y Lin, Junhao Chen
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Solid polymer electrolytes are promising for high‐energy‐density alkali metal batteries but are hindered by excessive thickness, insufficient interfacial contact, and uncontrolled dendrite growth. Herein, we introduce a scalable in situ polymerization strategy to fabricate ultrathin (∼10 µm) yet robust solid‐like polymer electrolytes (SPE‐Na and SPE‐Li) that simultaneously enable rapid ion transport and intimate interfacial integration. Ion transport is dominated by fast migration through solvent‐rich pathways while the polymer matrix ensures mechanical integrity. To stabilize metal electrodes, potassium perfluorobutane sulfonate is introduced to form SPEs, where K + provides dynamic electrostatic shielding to suppress dendrite formation, while fluorine‐containing species promote LiF/NaF‐rich, inorganic‐reinforced interphases. The optimized SPE‐0.05K‐Na and SPE‐0.02K‐Li showed high of ∼0.5 and ionic conductivities of ∼4.78 × 10 −4 and ∼4.87 × 10 −4 S cm −1 . Consequently, Li||Li and Na||Na symmetric cells achieved stable cycling for 4000 h (0.5 mA cm −2 ) and 1800 h (0.2 mA cm −2 ), respectively. Full cells operated reliably under rigorous conditions, such as elevated mass loadings (e.g., 20.0 mg LFP cm −2 , 20.2 mg LCO cm −2 , 14.3 mg NCM cm −2 , and 7.2 mg NVP cm −2 ), subzero temperatures (−20°C), and Ah‐level pouch cells. This work integrates interface engineering with ultrathin electrolyte design to advance practical, low‐temperature, and high‐energy‐density batteries.

Advanced Energy Materials
Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), Jinan University (CN), University of Hong Kong (HK), South China University of Technology (CN), Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
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.