Active metal-based batteries are drawing increased attention because of their inherent high energy density and specific capacity. Some grand challenges, such as dendrite growth, electrode degradation, rapid performance fading, etc., have limited their practical application. Bioinspiration, which involves taking cues from the structures and functions of the natural world, can lead to a wealth of conceptually fresh approaches to regulator the metal ion transportation to achieve a dendrite-free metal plating, thwart the side-reaction reactions, and retard the structural distortions, for a more reliable and secure operation of active metal-based batteries. In this review, we concentrate on the fabrication and application of bioinspired designs in active metal-based batteries with enhanced performance, along with discussion on the challenges and opportunities associated with this promising topic. We anticipate that this review can offer some insights into the development of functional materials by learning from nature and provide some approaches for the innovations of either the battery structures or the energy materials for metal-based batteries.

Metal exsolution engineering has been regarded as a promising strategy for activating intrinsically inert perovskite oxide catalysts toward efficient oxygen evolution reaction. Traditional metal exsolution processes on perovskites are often achieved by using the reducing hydrogen gas; however, this is not effective for the relatively stable phase, such as Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite oxides. To address this issue, triphenylphosphine is proposed to be a reduction promotor for accelerating the reduction and migration of the target metal atoms, aiming to achieve the effective exsolution of metallic species from Ruddlesden–Popper-type parent perovskites. Upon oxygen evolution reaction, these exsolved metallic aggregates are reconstructed into oxyhydroxides as the real active centers. After further modification by low-percentage iridium oxide nanoclusters, the optimal catalyst delivered an overpotential as low as 305 mV for generating the density of 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming these reported noble metal-containing perovskite-based alkaline oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysts. This work provides a potential approach to activate catalytically inert oxides through promoting surface metal exsolution and explores a novel class of Ruddlesden–Popper-type oxides for electrocatalytic applications.

Two-dimensional/two-dimensional (2D/2D) heterostructures consisting of two or more 2D building blocks possess intriguing electronic features at the nanosized interfacial regions, endowing the possibility for effectively modulating the confinement, and transport of charge carriers, excitons, photons, phonons, etc. to bring about a wide range of extraordinary physical, chemical, thermal, and/or mechanical properties. By rational design and synthesis of 2D/2D heterostructures, electrochemical properties for advanced batteries and electrocatalysis can be well regulated to meet some practical requirements. In this review, a summary on the commonly employed synthetic strategies for 2D/2D heterostructures is first given, followed by a comprehensive review on recent progress for their applications in batteries and various electrocatalysis reactions. Finally, a critical outlook on the current challenges and promising solutions is presented, which is expected to offer some insightful ideas on the design principles of advanced 2D-based nanomaterials to address the current challenges in sustainable energy storages and green fuel generations.