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Vol. 19 (2027)

Screen-Printed Li Arrays with Reinforced Interphase as Ultrathin Anodes for High-Energy–Density Liquid- and Solid-State Batteries

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02342-1
Wenting Liu
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical and Magneto‑chemical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, People’s Republic of China
Zhenyao Wei
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
De Ning
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Zhenhuan Lu
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical and Magneto‑chemical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, People’s Republic of China
Fengping Zhang
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Xuhao Wang
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Binzhe Zhao
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Guohua Zhong
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Jie Zhang
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Yan Shao
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Ming Chen
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Man Wang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Jun Wang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Chunlei Yang
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China
Wei Wu
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Wei Wu

w.wu1@siat.ac.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 19 (2027), Article Number: 37

Abstract

High-energy–density lithium metal batteries, either liquid or solid state, require ultrathin Li anodes, but their implementation is hindered by poor Li processability in fabrication and inhomogeneous Li plating behaviours upon cycling. This work addresses these challenges through a mask-patterned discrete array using a molten salt-derived Li nanocomposite. The screen-printing strategy circumvents the poor wettability of molten Li on copper that causes high Li|Cu contact angle and non-uniform Li spreading, thus fabricating ultrathin Li foils with equivalent thicknesses below 30 μm. Concurrently, the molten salt-derived inorganic nanoparticles in Li favour homogeneous Li deposition and induce inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interphase to jointly suppress active Li consumption. The resulting Li array (10–28 μm) anodes demonstrate remarkable performance in both liquid- and solid-state systems, achieving high energy densities up to 504 Wh kg−1/1071 Wh L−1 and stable cycling over 260 cycles with high-loading cathodes. This integrated approach resolves both fabrication and cycling challenges of ultrathin Li anodes and offers an alternative solution for high-performance liquid-/solid-state batteries.


Highlights:
1 A screen-printing strategy using mask-patterned discrete arrays overcomes molten Li’s poor wettability on Cu, enabling fabrication of ultrathin Li anodes (< 30 μm).
2 In situ generated inorganic nanoparticles from Mg(TFSI)2 homogenize Li deposition and induce an inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interphases, significantly suppressing active Li consumption.
3 The Li@Mg(TFSI)2 array anode fits both liquid- and solid-state full cells, achieving high energy densities of 504 Wh kg−1/1071 Wh L−1 and stable cycling over 260 cycles.

Keywords

Lithium metal battery Ultrathin anode Array Energy density Solid-state battery
Liu, Wenting, Zhenyao Wei, De Ning, Zhenhuan Lu, Fengping Zhang, Xuhao Wang, Binzhe Zhao, Guohua Zhong, Jie Zhang, Yan Shao, Ming Chen, Man Wang, Jun Wang, Chunlei Yang, and Wei Wu. 2026. “Screen-Printed Li Arrays With Reinforced Interphase As Ultrathin Anodes for High-Energy–Density Liquid- and Solid-State Batteries”. Nano-Micro Letters 19 (August):37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02342-1.
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