Planar Li deposition and dissolution enable practical anode-free pouch cells | Nature

Subjects

- Batteries

Abstract

Anode-free lithium metal batteries (AFLMBs), which are manufactured without anode active material, offer great potential for high-energy-density, low-cost energy storage. However, AFLMBs face a long-standing challenge of short lifespan due to the harsh conditions of lacking excess Li-resource and an anode host1-8. This issue is associated with uneven Li deposition/dissolution, rooted in the micro-heterogeneity and mechanical fragility of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)9. Here we report a practical 500 Wh kg–1-level AFLMB with enhanced lifespan, achieved using a crossover-coupled electrolyte. The electrolyte triggers crossover-coupled interfacial reactions that generate a B–F-based polymer-rich SEI at the anode while suppressing gas evolution at the cathode. The resulting SEI exhibits sub-nanometer homogeneity, high flexibility, and rapid Li-ion transport, and it spontaneously develops a self-adaptive mesh-film structure that ensures uniform ion flux and large-volume-change accommodation, thereby realizing reversible planar Li deposition/dissolution of 5.6 mAh cm–2. Consequently, a 2.7 Ah AFLMB (508 Wh kg–1, 1668 Wh L–1) without any host-material coating demonstrates stable cycling for 100 cycles at 100% depth of discharge (DoD) and 250 cycles at 80% DoD, with 80% capacity retention and a high-power output of 2650 W kg–1 at 96 Wh kg–1. These findings establish crossover-coupled interphase chemistry and address the inherent structural instability of host-free electrodes, advancing the practical implementation of AFLMBs.

Access through your institution

Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

$32.99 / 30 days

cancel any time

Learn more

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Learn more

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of 3D Micro/Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China

Lei Liu

(刘磊) & Jianhui Wang

(王建辉)

- Division of Solar Energy Conversion and Catalysis at Westlake University, Zhejiang Baima Lake Laboratory Co. Ltd., Hangzhou, China

Jianhui Wang

(王建辉)

- Research Center for Industries of the Future (RCIF), Westlake University, Hangzhou, China

Lei Liu

(刘磊) & Jianhui Wang

(王建辉)

- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China

Yuxuan Xiang

(向宇轩)

- Instrumentation and Service Center for Molecular Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China

Xingyu Lu

(卢星宇)

- Institute of Advanced Technology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China

Lei Liu

(刘磊) & Jianhui Wang

(王建辉)

Authors- Lei Liu

(刘磊)View author publications

Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

- Yuxuan Xiang

(向宇轩)View author publications

Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

- Xingyu Lu

(卢星宇)View author publications

Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

- Jianhui Wang

(王建辉)View author publications

Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to

Jianhui Wang

(王建辉).

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information (download PDF )

This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-27, Supplementary Tables 1-9, Supplementary Discussion 1-2, and Supplementary References.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Liu, L., Xiang, Y., Lu, X. et al. Planar Li deposition and dissolution enable practical anode-free pouch cells.

Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0

Download citation

- Received: 07 September 2024

- Accepted: 11 March 2026

- Published: 17 March 2026

- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Copy shareable link to clipboard

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative