Recently, a research team led by Professors Wu Yuping and He Jiarui from the School of Energy and Environment and the Next-Generation Energy Storage Center at Southeast University (SEU) has published a significant research paper in the world-renowned journal Joule (a flagship sub-journal of Cell, impact factor 35.4). The paper, entitled Suppressed Lithium Plating in Graphite Anodes Enabled by Tailoring the Interfacial Lithium Concentration, reports a novel strategy to overcome lithium plating in conventional graphite anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
Jia Ao, a 2023 master’s student at the School of Energy and Environment, is the first author, and Professor He Jiarui is the corresponding author. This publication marks the first research paper in Joule with Southeast University as the sole corresponding institution.
Graphite is the most widely used anode material in commercial lithium-ion batteries due to its suitable interlayer spacing, mature manufacturing, stable performance and low cost. However, under high-rate charging conditions, slow solid-state diffusion often leads to lithium deposition on the graphite surface, forming “dead lithium” and degrading battery capacity, cycle life and safety.
In this work, the team developed a uniform sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) coating on graphite (denoted Gr@SPAN) through interfacial lithium concentration regulation. Benefiting from the lithium concentration gradient formed by the lithiated SPAN layer, lithium ions diffuse rapidly inside graphite, synchronizing surface intercalation and bulk diffusion at high rates. This design effectively suppresses lithium plating and greatly improves cycling stability.
Benefiting from the lithium-rich interface and concentration gradient, the Gr@SPAN anode exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance:
·91.3% capacity retention after 700 cycles at 1 C;
·90.5% capacity retention after 800 cycles at 2 C under commercial areal loading (6.7 mg cm⁻²).
Depth-profiling XPS and post-cycling electrode characterization confirmed the concentration gradient and excellent lithium plating suppression effect. This innovation provides a new and effective pathway for enhancing the stability of graphite anodes in high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Jiangsu Key R&D Program, the Jiangsu Outstanding Youth Fund, and the High-Level Talent Startup Fund of Southeast University.
The SEU “Sanchi Energy Storage” research team is led by Professor Wu Yuping, a National Outstanding Youth Fund recipient and Chief Scientist of the National Key R&D Program. The team focuses on advanced electrochemical energy storage materials and devices, including lithium-/sodium-/potassium-ion batteries, lithium-metal batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, aqueous batteries and hybrid capacitors. Committed to scientific excellence and national service, the team has published more than 70 papers in top international journals and contributes to the national goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
Article Link:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2025.102278
