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Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries
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Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 5356

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Interests: structural modulation of nano materials; regulation of electrolytes for rechargeable batteries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chenggang Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physics and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
Interests: electrode material synthesis; zinc anode protection for aqueous zinc ion batteries

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The materials used in rechargeable ion batteries, including non-aqueous systems (such as lithium ions, sodium ions, potassium ions, magnesium ions, or calcium ions) and aqueous zinc-ion batteries, have been developed to the deepest level, reaching a point beyond structural modifications at nano-/micrometer scales. This means that facet engineering has become increasingly important in recent years. The performances of the rechargeable ion batteries mentioned above are generally closely related to the lattice or facet structure of the candidate materials, such as the lattice spacing and lattice exposed ratios, which are of high importance in materials science but have rarely been investigated, particularly their correlations with ion storage behaviors and the corresponding mechanisms that could originally influence ion storage performance.

Thus, this Special Issue, “Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries”, will cover methodologies and related mechanisms for facet engineering in material synthesis (mostly concerning inorganic materials), which could include hydrothermal and solvothermal methods, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or electro-deposition for facet engineering to improve the performance of rechargeable ion batteries. Performance metrics could include capacity delivery, cyclic performance, and related electrochemical ion storage mechanisms. Articles, reviews, and prospective papers are all welcome.

Dr. Lu Wang
Dr. Chenggang Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • facet growth mechanism
  • ion storage mechanism
  • lattice configuration
  • structure–performance relationship

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 3173 KB  
Article
Electro-Spun PAN/Silica-Li Composite Gel Electrolytes for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Xingyu Liu, Junxian Fu, Wen Huang, Yonggang Yang and Yi Li
Materials 2026, 19(4), 744; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19040744 - 14 Feb 2026
Viewed by 262
Abstract
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), which combine the safety of solid electrolytes with the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes, have long been regarded as ideal electrolyte materials. This study proposes a polymer/ceramics composite gel electrolyte aimed at improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries. [...] Read more.
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), which combine the safety of solid electrolytes with the high ionic conductivity of liquid electrolytes, have long been regarded as ideal electrolyte materials. This study proposes a polymer/ceramics composite gel electrolyte aimed at improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries. A nanofiber membrane was fabricated by electrospinning a mixture of polyacrylonitrile and lithium-salt-grafted helical mesoporous silica nanoparticles, followed by plasticizer absorption to obtain the composite gel electrolyte film (PAN/SiO2-Li). Experimental results indicate that this gel electrolyte membrane possesses high thermal stability, a wide electrochemical window (>5.3 V vs. Li/Li+), high room-temperature ionic conductivity (~4.4 × 10−3 S cm−1), and a good lithium-ion transference number (0.72). In symmetric Li||Li cells, this electrolyte suppresses lithium dendrite growth and maintains stable lithium deposition/stripping. This work presents a practical electrolyte design strategy for developing GPEs with enhanced safety and performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries)
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17 pages, 3371 KB  
Article
Oxygen-Vacancy-Rich V2O5@NC Composite with Enhanced Zinc-Storage Performance for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries
by Taoyun Zhou, Pingyuan Liang, Shilin Li, Yun Cheng and Xinyu Li
Materials 2025, 18(22), 5216; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225216 - 18 Nov 2025
Viewed by 791
Abstract
The practical application of vanadium-based cathode materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely hindered by vanadium dissolution, low electronic conductivity, and sluggish reaction kinetics in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, a three-dimensional confined V2O5@ nitrogen-doped carbon (V2 [...] Read more.
The practical application of vanadium-based cathode materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely hindered by vanadium dissolution, low electronic conductivity, and sluggish reaction kinetics in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, a three-dimensional confined V2O5@ nitrogen-doped carbon (V2O5@NC) composite was rationally designed and constructed through a dual-regulation strategy combining oxygen-vacancy engineering and conductive network enhancement. In this architecture, the nitrogen-doped carbon framework provides a highly conductive network and robust structural support, while in situ carbonization induces the generation of oxygen vacancies within V2O5. These oxygen vacancies cause lattice distortion and expand the interlayer spacing, thereby accelerating Zn2+ diffusion and improving reaction kinetics. Benefiting from this synergistic effect, the V2O5@NC electrode exhibits an excellent specific capacity of 437 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and maintains a remarkable 89.3% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 3 A g−1, demonstrating outstanding rate performance and cycling stability. This study provides new insights and an effective design strategy for developing high-performance cathode materials for next-generation aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries)
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12 pages, 2267 KB  
Article
Composite Polymer Electrolytes with Tailored Ion-Conductive Networks for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries
by Caizhen Yang, Zongyou Li, Qiyao Yu and Jianguo Zhang
Materials 2025, 18(13), 3106; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18133106 - 1 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1016
Abstract
Gel-polymer electrolytes offer a promising route toward safer and more stable sodium-ion batteries, but conventional polymer systems often suffer from low ionic conductivity and limited voltage stability. In this study, we developed composite GPEs by embedding methylammonium lead chloride (CH3NH3 [...] Read more.
Gel-polymer electrolytes offer a promising route toward safer and more stable sodium-ion batteries, but conventional polymer systems often suffer from low ionic conductivity and limited voltage stability. In this study, we developed composite GPEs by embedding methylammonium lead chloride (CH3NH3PbCl3, MPCl) into a UV-crosslinked ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate (ETPTA) matrix, with sodium alginate (SA) as an ionic conduction enhancer. Three types of membranes—GPE-P, GPE-El, and GPE-Eh—were synthesized and systematically compared. Among them, the high-MPCl formulation (GPE-Eh) exhibited the best performance, achieving a high ionic conductivity of 2.14 × 10−3 S·cm−1, a sodium-ion transference number of 0.66, and a wide electrochemical window of approximately 4.9 V vs. Na+/Na. In symmetric Na|GPE|Na cells, GPE-Eh enabled stable sodium plating/stripping for over 600 h with low polarization. In Na|GPE|NVP cells, it delivered a high capacity retention of ~79% after 500 cycles and recovered ~89% of its initial capacity after high-rate cycling. These findings demonstrate that the perovskite–polymer composite structure significantly improves ion transport, interfacial stability, and electrochemical durability, offering a viable path for the development of next-generation quasi-solid-state sodium-ion batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries)
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14 pages, 4092 KB  
Article
Preparation of V2O5 Composite Cathode Material Based on In Situ Intercalated Polyaniline and Its High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery Applications
by Shilin Li, Taoyun Zhou, Yun Cheng and Xinyu Li
Materials 2025, 18(10), 2166; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18102166 - 8 May 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2074
Abstract
With the rapid growth of renewable energy, the need for efficient and stable energy storage systems has become increasingly urgent. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) can offer high safety, abundant zinc supply, and promising electrochemical properties. However, their performance is limited by poor electronic [...] Read more.
With the rapid growth of renewable energy, the need for efficient and stable energy storage systems has become increasingly urgent. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) can offer high safety, abundant zinc supply, and promising electrochemical properties. However, their performance is limited by poor electronic conductivity, slow Zn2+ diffusion, and structural degradation of conventional cathode materials. To address these issues, an in situ polyaniline (PANI) intercalation strategy for vanadium oxide cathodes is introduced in this paper. The conductive PANI chains play three key roles: (1) expand and stabilize interlayer spacing, (2) enhance electronic conductivity, and (3) provide mechanical support to prevent structural collapse and zinc-dendrite formation. A flower-like PANI-V2O5 hybrid is synthesized via synchronous oxidative polymerization, forming a hierarchical architecture without inert intercalants. The resulting electrode achieves a high specific capacity of 450 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1 and retains 96.7% of its capacity after 300 cycles at 1 A·g−1, with excellent rate performance. These findings demonstrate that PANI intercalation enhances ion transport, electronic conductivity, and structural integrity, offering a promising design approach for next-generation AZIBs cathodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries)
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Review

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20 pages, 3300 KB  
Review
Improving the Cycling Stability of Next-Generation Si Anode Batteries Using Polymer Coatings
by Ki Yun Kim, Seong Soo Kang, Young-Pyo Jeon, Jin-Yong Hong and Jea Uk Lee
Materials 2025, 18(24), 5630; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18245630 - 15 Dec 2025
Viewed by 673
Abstract
Silicon is widely recognized as a next-generation anode owing to its exceptional theoretical capacity, yet its practical deployment in lithium-ion batteries is constrained by severe volume expansion, particle fracture, loss of electrical percolation, and solid electrolyte interphase layer instability. Polymer-based strategies have emerged [...] Read more.
Silicon is widely recognized as a next-generation anode owing to its exceptional theoretical capacity, yet its practical deployment in lithium-ion batteries is constrained by severe volume expansion, particle fracture, loss of electrical percolation, and solid electrolyte interphase layer instability. Polymer-based strategies have emerged as accessible solutions to engineer extensive volume changes and interfacial compatibility, while preserving pathways for charge transport. Viscoelastic polymer binders dissipate stress, catechol-inspired chemistries strengthen adhesion and tailor interphases, and conductive polymers can function simultaneously as binder, electronic additive, and artificial SEI. This review describes these approaches through a structure–process–performance perspective, emphasizing practically relevant metrics, such as initial capacity, initial Coulombic efficiency, and long-term cycling stability. We organize the main section into (i) dopamine-derived interfacial engineering, (ii) self-healing three-dimensional network binders, and (iii) conductive-polymer-based designs. In the last section, we articulate the functional requirements of polymers in silicon anodes, outline the ideal structural designs, and provide forward-looking avenues for future lithium-ion battery anode research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Methodologies and Mechanisms in Facet Engineering for Next-Generation Ion Batteries)
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