Researcher Zhong-shuai Wu, together with Academician Hui-ming Cheng from Shenzhen Advanced Technology Research Institute (corresponding author), and others reported an integrated cathode-electrolyte architecture for all-solid-state lithium CO2 batteries: chemical vapor deposition of self-supporting nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes on a stainless steel mesh, then co-anchoring copper atomic clusters (CuAC) and copper monoatoms (CuSA) to form dual active sites, coupled with lithium-containing butanitrile (LSN) solid electrolytes to form conformal coating on the nanotube layer. The continuous ion conductor phase works in tandem with the conductive nanotube framework, providing a coupled transport channel for Li+, electrons, and CO2 at the cathode interface; Electron coupling between Cu clusters and single atoms drives about 0.457 e− charges to flow from the former to the latter, making the cluster sites partially cationic and promoting the activation of carbonate intermediates, thereby altering the discharge path and reducing the reaction's energy to 2.412 eV. The assembled battery has a discharge specific capacity of 21,356 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1, and at 500 mA g−1, it runs stably for 260 cycles (over 1000 hours), with an energy efficiency of 78%. The related findings were published in Nature Communications under the title "An integrated cathode-electrolyte architecture with Cu dual active-sites for all-solid-state Li–CO2 batteries."

Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78929-4