Self-adaptive electrolytes for fast-charging batteries

CX Zhao and Z Li and B Chen and F Chen and CS Wang, NATURE ENERGY, 10, 904-913 (2025).

DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01801-0

Fast charging of high-energy batteries is critical for transportation electrification but remains challenging because the rapid rise in cell overpotential easily exceeds electrolytes' fixed electrochemical stability window. Here we design a self-adaptive electrolyte with a dynamically expanding electrochemical stability window that increases in real time during charging, outpacing the rise in overpotential as the charging current intensifies. The self-adaptive electrolyte is a single- phase solution of salt and complementary oxidation- and reduction- resistant solvents at the cloud point composition but can undergo solvent separation to dynamically redistribute solvent components during charging. The oxidation-resistant solvents concentrate at the positive electrode and reduction-resistant solvents accumulate at the negative electrode, broadening the electrolyte stability window in real time during charging. Proof-of-concept experiments validate the versatility of this design in both aqueous zinc-metal and non-aqueous lithium-metal batteries, achieving high Coulombic efficiencies of negative electrodes and enhanced oxidative stability for positive electrodes.

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