Recently, the research team led by Prof. Jiang Jianzhong from the School of Advanced Materials and New Energy at Fuyao University of Science and Technology published a research paper entitled Alkali-Ion Batteries by Carbon Encapsulation of Liquid Metal Anode in the internationally renowned journal Advanced Materials. Targeting the root cause of capacity fading of liquid metal electrodes during long-term cycling, the team carried out targeted modification on liquid metal particles and successfully designed and prepared a series of in-situ carbon-encapsulated core–shell structured liquid metal particles.

In this work, a two-step method was employed to synthesize in-situ carbon-encapsulated eutectic EGaIn@C nanoparticles with a core–shell architecture. This core–shell structure exhibits three prominent advantages:

1. The in-situ encapsulation of EGaIn@C nanoparticles prevents particle agglomeration, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of active materials in alkali-ion batteries.

2. The unique carbon-encapsulated core–shell structure perfectly accommodates the volume expansion of nanoparticles, ensuring the stability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film and electrode materials during cycling.

3. The carbon coating possesses higher electrical conductivity than the native Ga₂O₃ oxide film and surfactant layers, facilitating fast migration and uniform distribution of lithium ions during electrochemical reactions.

In addition, in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) nanobattery experiments were performed to real-time monitor the morphological and phase evolution of EGaIn@C nanoparticles during lithiation and delithiation processes.

This study provides a universal strategy for the modification of liquid metal particles and strongly promotes the development of room-temperature liquid metal-based alkali-metal-ion batteries.

Paper link: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202309732