Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01988-7
Minh Hai Nguyen, Jeongmin Shin, Mee-Ree Kim, Quan Van Nguyen, JinHyeok Cha, Sangbaek Park
The practical deployment of lithium metal batteries remains severely constrained, especially under elevated temperatures. Although metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) improve the thermal stability of liquid electrolytes by capturing them in well-ordered sub-nanopores, interparticle voids between MOF particles readily absorb liquid electrolyte, obscuring our understanding of the intrinsic role of nanopores in directing Li⁺ transport. To address this challenge, we introduce a one-dimensional (1D) MOF model architecture that eliminates interparticle effects and enables direct observation of Li⁺ solvation and de-solvation dynamics. Comparative studies of 1D HKUST-1 and ZIF-8 uncover distinct transport behaviors, supported by both experimental measurements and neural network potential-based molecular dynamics simulations. Building on these insights, we construct a hierarchical core–shell MOF architecture by integrating ZIF-8 (core) and HKUST-1 (shell) onto a hybrid fiber scaffold. This design harnesses the complementary strengths of both MOFs to achieve continuous ion pathways, directional Li⁺ conduction, and improved thermal and electrochemical resilience.
{"title":"Confining Li⁺ Solvation in Core–Shell Metal–Organic Frameworks for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries at 100 °C","authors":"Minh Hai Nguyen, Jeongmin Shin, Mee-Ree Kim, Quan Van Nguyen, JinHyeok Cha, Sangbaek Park","doi":"10.1007/s40820-025-01988-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40820-025-01988-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The practical deployment of lithium metal batteries remains severely constrained, especially under elevated temperatures. Although metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) improve the thermal stability of liquid electrolytes by capturing them in well-ordered sub-nanopores, interparticle voids between MOF particles readily absorb liquid electrolyte, obscuring our understanding of the intrinsic role of nanopores in directing Li⁺ transport. To address this challenge, we introduce a one-dimensional (1D) MOF model architecture that eliminates interparticle effects and enables direct observation of Li⁺ solvation and de-solvation dynamics. Comparative studies of 1D HKUST-1 and ZIF-8 uncover distinct transport behaviors, supported by both experimental measurements and neural network potential-based molecular dynamics simulations. Building on these insights, we construct a hierarchical core–shell MOF architecture by integrating ZIF-8 (core) and HKUST-1 (shell) onto a hybrid fiber scaffold. This design harnesses the complementary strengths of both MOFs to achieve continuous ion pathways, directional Li⁺ conduction, and improved thermal and electrochemical resilience.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":714,"journal":{"name":"Nano-Micro Letters","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":36.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40820-025-01988-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
With the escalating demand for safe, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems, hydrogel electrolytes have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional liquid electrolytes in zinc-ion batteries. By integrating the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes with the mechanical robustness of solid frameworks, hydrogel electrolytes offer distinct advantages in suppressing zinc dendrite formation, enhancing interfacial stability, and enabling reliable operation under extreme environmental conditions. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental characteristics and design criteria of hydrogel electrolytes, including mechanical flexibility, ionic transport capabilities, and environmental adaptability. It further explores various compositional design strategies involving natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and composite systems, as well as the incorporation of electrolyte salts and functional additives. In addition, recent advances in functional optimization, such as anti-freezing properties, self-healing abilities, thermal responsiveness, and biocompatibility, are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the review outlines the current challenges and proposes potential directions for future research.
{"title":"Hydrogel Electrolytes for Zinc-Ion Batteries: Materials Design, Functional Strategies, and Future Perspectives","authors":"Zhengchu Zhang, Yongbiao Mu, Lijuan Xiao, Hengyuan Hu, Tao Xue, Limin Zang, Eiichi Sakai, Meisheng Han, Chao Yang, Lin Zeng, Jianhui Qiu","doi":"10.1007/s40820-025-01993-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40820-025-01993-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>With the escalating demand for safe, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems, hydrogel electrolytes have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional liquid electrolytes in zinc-ion batteries. By integrating the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes with the mechanical robustness of solid frameworks, hydrogel electrolytes offer distinct advantages in suppressing zinc dendrite formation, enhancing interfacial stability, and enabling reliable operation under extreme environmental conditions. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental characteristics and design criteria of hydrogel electrolytes, including mechanical flexibility, ionic transport capabilities, and environmental adaptability. It further explores various compositional design strategies involving natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and composite systems, as well as the incorporation of electrolyte salts and functional additives. In addition, recent advances in functional optimization, such as anti-freezing properties, self-healing abilities, thermal responsiveness, and biocompatibility, are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the review outlines the current challenges and proposes potential directions for future research. </p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":714,"journal":{"name":"Nano-Micro Letters","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":36.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40820-025-01993-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}