Interest in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), particularly the anode-less type, has grown alongside the expansion of the electric vehicle (EV) market, because they offer advantages in terms of their energy density and manufacturing cost. However, in most anode-less ASSBs, the anode is covered by a protective layer to ensure stable lithium (Li) deposition, thus requiring high temperatures to ensure adequate Li ion diffusion kinetics through the protective layer. This study proposes a dual-seed protective layer consisting of silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles for sulfide-based anode-less ASSBs. This dual-seed-based protective layer not only facilitates Li diffusion via multiple lithiation pathways over a wide range of potentials, but also enhances the mechanical stability of the anode interface through the in situ formation of a Ag-Zn alloy with high ductility. The capacity retention during full-cell evaluation is 80.8% for 100 cycles when cycled at 1 mA cm^-2 with 3 mAh cm^-2 at room temperature. The dual-seed approach provides useful insights into the design of multi-seed concepts in which, from a mechanochemical perspective, various lithiophilic materials synergistically impact upon the anode-less interface.

Abstract Silicon anodes with high energy density are prone to mechanical deformation during cycling, including fracture, pulverization, and delamination from conductive materials, due to their large volume expansion and contraction. Although significant attention is paid to outer interface engineering such as surface coating and electrolyte design in order to maintain a steady solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), there are currently few strategies in place for stabilizing the inner interface between Si and conductive carbon host materials. In this work, it is reported that an interfacial SiC chemical bonding enhances the interaction between Si and carbon, which in turn suppresses nano‐sized void evolution and ensues Si delamination. Through the open‐edge structure of carbon nanotube (OCNT), it is demonstrated that graphitic edge planes enable to evoke of interfacial SiC specifically at the junction without overgrowth toward the bulk. As a result, an Si‐graphite composite consisting of interfacial SiC exhibits a sF cycling life (79.5% for 300 cycles at 3C charging), as well as lower overpotential under high current density up to 5C compared to paired LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 (NCM) cathode in pouch full‐cell tests. This study highlights the significance of inner interface engineering for developing high‐energy density Si‐based anodes toward fast charging and long‐term stability.

Interest in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), particularly the anode-less type, has grown alongside the expansion of the electric vehicle (EV) market, because they offer advantages in terms of their energy density and manufacturing cost. However, in most anode-less ASSBs, the anode is covered by a protective layer to ensure stable lithium (Li) deposition, thus requiring high temperatures to ensure adequate Li ion diffusion kinetics through the protective layer. This study proposes a dual-seed protective layer consisting of silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles for sulfide-based anode-less ASSBs. This dual-seed-based protective layer not only facilitates Li diffusion via multiple lithiation pathways over a wide range of potentials, but also enhances the mechanical stability of the anode interface through the in situ formation of a Ag-Zn alloy with high ductility. The capacity retention during full-cell evaluation is 80.8% for 100 cycles when cycled at 1 mA cm^-2 with 3 mAh cm^-2 at room temperature. The dual-seed approach provides useful insights into the design of multi-seed concepts in which, from a mechanochemical perspective, various lithiophilic materials synergistically impact upon the anode-less interface.

Abstract Silicon anodes with high energy density are prone to mechanical deformation during cycling, including fracture, pulverization, and delamination from conductive materials, due to their large volume expansion and contraction. Although significant attention is paid to outer interface engineering such as surface coating and electrolyte design in order to maintain a steady solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), there are currently few strategies in place for stabilizing the inner interface between Si and conductive carbon host materials. In this work, it is reported that an interfacial SiC chemical bonding enhances the interaction between Si and carbon, which in turn suppresses nano‐sized void evolution and ensues Si delamination. Through the open‐edge structure of carbon nanotube (OCNT), it is demonstrated that graphitic edge planes enable to evoke of interfacial SiC specifically at the junction without overgrowth toward the bulk. As a result, an Si‐graphite composite consisting of interfacial SiC exhibits a sF cycling life (79.5% for 300 cycles at 3C charging), as well as lower overpotential under high current density up to 5C compared to paired LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 (NCM) cathode in pouch full‐cell tests. This study highlights the significance of inner interface engineering for developing high‐energy density Si‐based anodes toward fast charging and long‐term stability.

Abstract Anode‐less all‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs) are being targeted for next‐generation electric mobility owing to their superior energy density and safety as well as the affordability of their materials. However, because of the anode‐less configuration, it is nontrivial to simultaneously operate the cell at room temperature and low pressure as a result of the sluggish reaction kinetics of lithium (de)plating and the formation of interfacial voids. This study overcomes these intrinsic challenges of anode‐less ASSBs by introducing a dual thin film consisting of a magnesium upper layer with a Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene buffer layer underneath. The Mg layer enables reversible Li plating and stripping at room temperature by reacting with Li via a (de)alloying reaction with a low reaction barrier. The MXene buffer layer maintains the electrolyte‐electrode interface by inhibiting the formation of voids even at low pressure of 2 MPa owing to the high ductility of MXene. This study highlights the importance of a combined chemical and mechanical approach when designing anode‐less electrodes for practical adaptation for anode‐less ASSBs.

The commercial viability of sulfide all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) has been hindered by limited solvent compatibility in solution processing as sulfide solid electrolytes (SEs) degrade in polar solvents. This constraint significantly restricts binder selection, which is critical for both performance─particularly at low pressures─and processability. This study addresses this critical issue by investigating thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as a binder dissolved in 1,6-dichlorohexane (DCH), a solvent specifically tailored for sulfide ASSBs. TPU demonstrates outstanding adhesion properties in composite anode, cathode, and SE layers, which not only enhance the long-term cycling performance but also enable double-cast solution processing with minimal binder content for electrode-SE layer manufacturing. A silicon-graphite (Si-Gr)-based pouch-cell fabricated through this solution process maintained 80% capacity retention over 100 cycles under practical conditions (40 μm SE layer, 25 °C, and 2 MPa), validating its practical feasibility. The successful implementation of this optimized solvent–binding system for solution processing represents a significant advancement toward practical ASSB technologies.

Conventional cathode material synthesis processes (sol–gel, hydrothermal, solid state reactions, and so on) are widely used in aqueous zinc ion battery research, which often requires lengthy, multistage steps involving high temperatures. Herein, a novel plasma‐assisted hydrothermal (PAHT) synthesis has been developed to synthesize 2D & 3D water‐intercalated vanadium oxide (WiVO) nanosheet clusters at low temperature (<200 °C) in a rapid manner (<80 min) with great cathode nanostructure controllability. The resultant WiVO nanosheet clusters exhibit an expanded lattice spacing of 1.23 nm, induced by water intercalation, which enhances Zn ion diffusion kinetics. As a result, 3D WiVO nanosheet clusters achieve a high capacity of 324 mAh g − 1 at 0.1 A g − 1 , and maintaining 95.8% cycle retention after 4000 cycles at 10A g −1 , demonstrating superior aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIB) performances to anhydrous V 2 O 5 & 2D WiVO nanosheets, backed up by rigorous density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, elucidating the enhanced AZIB performances of WiVO 3D nanosheet clusters. Universality of the PAHT method is validated through the synthesis of 3D WiVO nanosheet clusters with comparable cell performance using various vanadium‐based precursors. Furthermore, the electrochemical degradation process of 2D & 3D nanosheet‐based cathode is also explored and the importance of nanosheet clustering, which impedes the degradation process, is demonstrated.

This contribution details a new high-fidelity finite element analysis (FEA) methodology for the investigation of the effect of the graft size on the pressure distribution developing at the calcaneocuboid joint after the Evans osteotomy procedure. The FEA model includes all 28 bones of the foot up to the distal end of fibula and tibia as well as soft tissues, tendons, and muscles. The developed FEA model was validated by comparing the in-vivo pressure distribution on the foot plantar with the in-silico results, resulting in a low deviation equal to 7.8%, and with the deformed foot shape caused by the body weight in static standing position measured by a high-precision lidar scanning, for an average shape error of 5.3%. The developed FEA was then employed to investigate the effect of the graft size on the calcaneocuboid joint pressure and improvement in the medial-longitudinal arch for a flat foot patient, where the soft and hard tissues' geometries were acquired by a CT scan. The results quantitatively demonstrated that the maximum pressure at the calcaneocuboid joint follows a quadratic trend where the minimum point also represents the best compromise to alleviate the flat foot condition while avoiding excessive pressure.