Lithium oxalate-based lithium-carbon dioxide batteries with high energy efficiency

Developing rechargeable lithium-carbon dioxide batteries is regarded as a promising direction for next-generation energy storage systems. Stabilizing lithium oxalate as the final product for lithium-carbon dioxide batteries significantly decreases the overpotential and improves energy efficiency, accelerating the reaction kinetics. This work provides a timely report of the latest progress and the remaining challenges of lithium oxalate-based lithium-carbon dioxide batteries. The reaction products and mechanism based on two-electron oxalate products are introduced. The advances in electrocatalyst design are summarized. Moreover, electrolyte modulation, including the use of lithium salts and redox mediators, for improving energy efficiency is discussed. Future research should focus on solid/soluble catalyst stability and operating management. This work aims to support the continuous and robust advancement of rechargeable lithium-carbon dioxide batteries.