Cyclically Regenerated Solid-State Bulk-Phase Electrocatalyst for Fast-Charging Lithium-lon Batteries.

Liao, Kexuan; Hao, Tianzi; Meng, Ruijin; Zuo, Yuanhui; He, Ting; Chen, Lu; Meng, Shuo; Liu, Tingting et al. · Adv Mater · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Catalysts are pivotal in enhancing reaction kinetics across various domains, including energy conversion and storage. However, their application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been largely unexplored, primarily due to the challenges posed by solid-solid conversion reactions in bulk electrode materials, and electrochemical instability and passivation of electrocatalysts during cycling. Herein, this study presents that Co atom clusters (Co<sub>ac</sub>) cyclically regenerate from a designed heterostructure of bimetallic selenides anode (CoSe-ZnSe) during electrochemical lithiation process as a novel and effective solid-state bulk-phase electrocatalyst can significantly accelerate conversion reactions of ZnSe anode for fast-charging LIBs. The propose strategy overcomes the bottlenecks in solid-state bulk-phase catalyst design, imparting Co<sub>ac</sub> catalyst with high catalytic efficiency, full-voltage-range electrochemical stability and anti-passivation during long-cycling test. With catalytic effect of Co<sub>ac</sub>, the batteries demonstrate fast-charging performance such as unprecedented rate capability up to 50 A g<sup>-1</sup>, as well as high-rate long cyclability (3000 cycles at 10 A g<sup>-1</sup>).