Lithium/sodium (Li/Na) metal batteries (LMBs/SMBs) have emerged as frontrunners for next-generation energy storage systems due to their ultrahigh theoretical energy densities and the natural abundance of Li and Na. However, their practical deployment is impeded by critical challenges, including dendrite growth, dead Li/Na formation, and severe volume expansion, which markedly degrade battery performance and shorten cycle life. Recent advancements have focused on 3 strategic approaches: composite anode design, electrolyte formulation, and artificial solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) engineering. Among these, carbon nanostructured materials have garnered particular attention due to their large specific surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, tunable pore architecture, and mechanical robustness. This review systematically dissects the failure mechanisms of LMBs/SMBs and presents a taxonomy of carbon-integrated solutions across molecular-to-macroscopic scales. Particular focus is given to carbon materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and carbon nanofibers, highlighting their roles as hosts, interlayers, and SEI regulators in suppressing dendrite formation and stabilizing electrode–electrolyte interfaces. Furthermore, the structural and chemical engineering of nanocarbon frameworks is discussed in terms of their contributions to enhanced cycling stability, improved Coulombic efficiency, and extended battery lifespan. This review concludes with a forward-looking perspective that prioritizes atomic-level interface tailoring, bio-inspired multidimensional architectures, and sustainable large-scale synthesis, aiming to accelerate the commercial deployment of carbon nanomaterials in LMBs/SMBs.

Poly(1,3-dioxolane) (PDOL)-based solid electrolytes hold great potential for solid-state lithium (Li) metal batteries due to their superior ionic conductivity at room temperature. However, traditional PDOL electrolytes suffer from inferior thermal stability, which has hampered their practical application. In this work, a competitive coordination mechanism is proposed to strengthen vulnerable ether oxygen bonds in PDOL chains, thereby improving the thermal stability of PDOL electrolytes. The strong coordination of Lewis base ligands on Li_6.75La₃Zr_1.75Ta_0.25O₁₂ (LLZTO) surface with Li ions weakens the ionic-dipolar interactions between PDOL chains and Li ions, conversely reinforcing the bond energy of ether oxygen bonds. Incorporating LLZTO into PDOL electrolytes effectively enhances the thermal decomposition temperature from 110 to 302 °C. Li||LiFePO₄ full cell with a 12 μm ultrathin PDOL hybrid electrolyte delivers enhanced discharge capacity and extended cycling life for 100 cycles at an elevated temperature of 60 °C. This work provides critical insights into the development of thermally stable PDOL electrolytes for safe solid-state Li metal batteries.

Interphase regulation of graphite anodes is indispensable for augmenting the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The resulting solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is crucial in ensuring anode stability, electrolyte compatibility, and efficient charge transfer kinetics, which in turn dictates the cyclability, fast-charging capability, temperature tolerance, and safety of carbon anodes. Continuous research endeavors are deepening our comprehension of the interphasial chemistry, underscoring the imperative to refine the SEI through economically viable and scalable techniques. The ongoing advancement of surface coating techniques involving amorphous carbons or Li-ion conductors, along with electrolyte formulations optimization such as the integration of film-forming additives, has become the cornerstones in regulating the SEI. These innovations are reshaping the landscape of current LIBs by refining the electrode interphase, paving the way to construct more potent and efficient energy storage systems. The relentless drive to optimize the interphase through cutting-edge technologies is central to the future of LIBs, with the ambitious goals of achieving higher energy densities, ensuring safety, and promoting sustainability in energy storage solutions. This review affords a comprehensive overview of the progression in carbon anode development and current status of their industrialization, underscoring the critical role of interphase regulation engineering in advancing the LIB technology.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage devices because of their ultrahigh theoretical energy density beyond lithium-ion batteries. The cycling stability of Li metal anode largely determines the prospect of practical applications of Li–S batteries. This review systematically summarizes the current advances of Li anode protection in Li–S batteries regarding both fundamental understanding and regulation methodology. First, the main challenges of Li metal anode instability are introduced with emphasis on the influence from lithium polysulfides. Then, a timeline with 4 stages is presented to afford an overview of the developing history of this field. Following that, 3 Li anode protection strategies are discussed in detail in aspects of guiding uniform Li plating/stripping, reducing polysulfide concentration in anolyte, and reducing polysulfide reaction activity with Li metal. Finally, 3 viewpoints are proposed to inspire future research and development of advanced Li metal anode for practical Li–S batteries.

Rechargeable lithium batteries with long calendar life are pivotal in the pursuit of non-fossil and wireless society as energy storage devices. However, corrosion has severely plagued the calendar life of lithium batteries. The corrosion in batteries mainly occurs between electrode materials and electrolytes, which results in constant consumption of active materials and electrolytes and finally premature failure of batteries. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of corrosion and developing strategies to inhibit corrosion are imperative for lithium batteries with long calendar life. In this review, different types of corrosion in batteries are summarized and the corresponding corrosion mechanisms are firstly clarified. Secondly, quantitative studies of the loss of lithium in corrosion are reviewed for an in-depth understanding of the mechanism. Thirdly, the recent progress in inhibiting corrosion is demonstrated. Finally, perspectives to further investigate corrosion mechanism and inhibit corrosion are put forward to promote the development of stable lithium batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is considered as a promising energy storage system due to its ultrahigh theoretical energy density of 2,600 Wh·kg⁻¹. Redox mediation strategies have been proposed to promote the sluggish sulfur redox kinetics. Nevertheless, the applicability of redox mediators in practical high-energy-density Li-S batteries has seldomly been manifested. In this work, 5,7,12,14-pentacenetetrone (PT) is proposed as an effective redox mediator to promote the sulfur redox kinetics under practical working conditions. A high initial specific discharge capacity of 993 mAh·g⁻¹ is achieved at 0.1 C with high-sulfur-loading cathodes of 4.0 mg_S·cm⁻² and low electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratio of 5 μL·mg_S⁻¹. More importantly, practical Li-S pouch cells with the PT mediator realize an actual initial energy density of 344 Wh·kg⁻¹ and cycle stably for 20 cycles wih a high capacity retention of 88%. This work proposes an effective redox mediator and further verifies the redox mediation strategy for practical high-energy-density Li-S batteries.

Dendrite growth of lithium (Li) metal anode severely hinders its practical application, while the situation becomes more serious at low temperatures due to the sluggish kinetics of Li-ion diffusion. This perspective is intended to clearly understand the energy chemistry of low-temperature Li metal batteries (LMBs). The low-temperature chemistries between LMBs and traditional Li-ion batteries are firstly compared to figure out the features of the low-temperature LMBs. Li deposition behaviors at low temperatures are then discussed concerning the variation in Li-ion diffusion behaviors and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) features. Subsequently, the strategies to enhance the diffusion kinetics of Li ions and suppress dendrite growth including designing electrolytes and electrode/electrolyte interfaces are analyzed. Finally, conclusions and outlooks are drawn to shed lights on the future design of high-performance low-temperature LMBs.

Solid-state lithium batteries with solid electrolytes are expected to enhance the battery safety and energy density as one of the most promising next-generation batteries. Among various solid-state electrolytes, sulfide solid electrolyte is considered as promising candidate due to its ultra-high ionic conductivity. However, its large-scale production is restricted due to its fragility and difficulty in processing, which affects its application in solid-state batteries. Recent work indicates that the flexibility of solid electrolytes can be realized via introducing flexible polymers or supporting frameworks in solid electrolytes membranes, constituting a solution to the embrittlement challenge in large-scale and thin-film electrolyte preparations. Therefore, developing flexible solid electrolytes is one of the important strategies to promote the industrialization of solid-state batteries. This review introduced the physical/chemical properties and development of sulfide solid electrolytes, summarized the related research work on polymer self-supporting method and flexible skeleton-supporting method in the flexibility of solid electrolytes, and discussed the technical characteristics and advantages/disadvantages of wet/dry processes in the flexible sulfide solid electrolyte preparation, respectively. In addition, the future development aspects were also given to promote the practical application of solid-state lithium batteries.

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) constitutes the core process of many energy storage and conversion devices including metal–air batteries and fuel cells. However, the kinetics of ORR is very sluggish and thus high-performance ORR electrocatalysts are highly regarded. Despite recent progress on minimizing the ORR half-wave potential as the current evaluation indicator, in-depth quantitative kinetic analysis on overall ORR electrocatalytic performance remains insufficiently emphasized. In this paper, a quantitative kinetic analysis method is proposed to afford decoupled kinetic information from linear sweep voltammetry profiles on the basis of the Koutecky–Levich equation. Independent parameters regarding exchange current density, electron transfer number, and electrochemical active surface area can be respectively determined following the proposed method. This quantitative kinetic analysis method is expected to promote understanding of the electrocatalytic effect and point out further optimization direction for ORR electrocatalysis.