Chemical Bonding Interface Enables Lithium Batteries to Operate Under Near‐Vacuum Conditions

ABSTRACT The reliance on high stack pressure in lithium metal batteries (LMBs) conflicts with the requirements of lightweight design and low‐pressure operating environments, motivating the development of pressure‐independent battery designs. Here, a chemical bonding interfacial prototype is proposed to substitute the physical contact interface, thereby liberating LMBs from high stacking pressures. This chemical bonding interface is constructed via strong interactions between the carbonyl groups of poly(ε‐caprolactone) segments and Li metal, manifesting as Li─O bonding interfaces. Benefiting from Li─O bonding, the PPE electrolyte exhibits a high adhesion energy of 22.44 J m −2 and a high lap shear strength of 0.31 MPa, sustaining intimate electrode–electrolyte contact without external stack pressure. In addition, the Li─O bonding interface significantly reduces the thickness of the electric double layer, achieving a 120% increase in capacitance (0.20 µF cm −2 ), thus promoting efficient transport (t Li+ = 0.7) and uniform deposition of Li + . As a result, the Li||Cu half‐cell equipped with PPE electrolyte achieves a superior coulombic efficiency of 99.78%. A pouch cell equipped with PPE electrolyte and NCM cathode demonstrates high capacity retention of 90.12% after 40 cycles at −0.1 MPa (relative to standard atmospheric pressure). This discovery offers novel insights into material and structural design for pressure‐insensitive batteries intended for high‐altitude aerospace applications.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Energy Materials
Published
2026-09-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.71584
Primary Topic
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
Type
article
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Chemical Bonding Interface Enables Lithium Batteries to Operate Under Near‐Vacuum Conditions

Songmei Li, Shubin Yang, Yi Luo, Jinyan Zhong et al.
Advanced Energy Materials
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
article

Chemical Bonding Interface Enables Lithium Batteries to Operate Under Near‐Vacuum Conditions

Songmei Li, Shubin Yang, Yi Luo, Jinyan Zhong, Bin Li, Xiaoyun Xu, Xiangbiao Liao, Wenqiang Zhang, Rongrong Guo, Jingyi Qiu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The reliance on high stack pressure in lithium metal batteries (LMBs) conflicts with the requirements of lightweight design and low‐pressure operating environments, motivating the development of pressure‐independent battery designs. Here, a chemical bonding interfacial prototype is proposed to substitute the physical contact interface, thereby liberating LMBs from high stacking pressures. This chemical bonding interface is constructed via strong interactions between the carbonyl groups of poly(ε‐caprolactone) segments and Li metal, manifesting as Li─O bonding interfaces. Benefiting from Li─O bonding, the PPE electrolyte exhibits a high adhesion energy of 22.44 J m −2 and a high lap shear strength of 0.31 MPa, sustaining intimate electrode–electrolyte contact without external stack pressure. In addition, the Li─O bonding interface significantly reduces the thickness of the electric double layer, achieving a 120% increase in capacitance (0.20 µF cm −2 ), thus promoting efficient transport (t Li+ = 0.7) and uniform deposition of Li + . As a result, the Li||Cu half‐cell equipped with PPE electrolyte achieves a superior coulombic efficiency of 99.78%. A pouch cell equipped with PPE electrolyte and NCM cathode demonstrates high capacity retention of 90.12% after 40 cycles at −0.1 MPa (relative to standard atmospheric pressure). This discovery offers novel insights into material and structural design for pressure‐insensitive batteries intended for high‐altitude aerospace applications.

Advanced Energy Materials
Zhejiang International Studies University (CN), Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology (CN), Beihang University (CN)
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 21%
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
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