New Nature Research to Increase Lithium Battery Energy and Endurance by 200%–300%

A team of researchers from Tianjin University has made a revolutionary breakthrough in lithium battery technology, with their findings published in Nature on August 13. The team has developed a novel “delocalized electrolyte design” for lithium metal batteries, achieving an unprecedented energy density of over 600 Wh/kg in a lithium metal pouch cell and 480 Wh/kg in a scalable battery pack. This represents a remarkable 200%–300% improvement in energy density and endurance compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries.

With the rapid growth of electric mobility, the low-altitude economy, consumer electronics, and humanoid robots, the demand for high-energy, long-duration rechargeable batteries is rising sharply. Energy density is a core performance indicator for batteries, as it determines how much energy can be stored in a smaller and lighter device. Achieving higher energy storage under such constraints remains a major technical challenge. Lithium metal batteries, with much higher theoretical energy density than traditional lithium-ion batteries, are widely regarded as a promising next-generation solution to overcome current limitations in battery performance and range. However, current electrolyte designs remain limited by their inherent reliance on solvent-dominated or anion-dominated solvation structures, hindering substantial progress in both energy output and battery lifespan. Therefore, breaking through electrolyte design bottlenecks to realize lithium batteries with enhanced energy density and extended runtime remains a key global challenge in energy storage research.

After years of collaborative research and development, the team at Tianjin University and their partners introduced a pioneering “delocalized electrolyte design” for high-energy lithium metal batteries, breaking the conventional dependence on dominant solvation structures.

According to Prof. Hu Wenbin, the lead researcher and faculty member at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Tianjin University, the innovative delocalized electrolyte design fosters a more disordered solvation microenvironment, thereby optimizing the overall electrolyte performance.

This approach effectively balances solvent-dominated and anion-dominated solvation structures, reduces kinetic barriers, and stabilizes the electrode-electrolyte interface, offering strong potential for significant improvements in battery performance.

This innovation led to the development of the high-energy “Battery600” and the scalable “Pack480” battery pack, laying a solid foundation for the future use of lithium metal batteries. It also delivers excellent cycling stability and safety, underscoring its potential to drive progress in high-energy battery technologies.

Prof. Hu stated that the team is making significant progress toward the commercialization and practical application of their research findings. “We have established a pilot production line for high-energy lithium metal batteries and successfully implemented this innovative technology in three models of domestically developed micro electric unmanned aerial vehicles,” he explained. Prof. Hu further highlighted that the flight endurance of these UAVs has been extended by up to 2.8 times compared to existing battery technologies.

The team now holds a complete chain of core technologies encompassing materials, electrolytes, electrodes, and batteries. All key materials and technologies are independently developed and fully controllable, with high-consistency mass production capabilities already in place. Full-scale production is expected to begin in the second half of this year.

With a focus on diverse real-world application scenarios, this team has published over 200 academic papers in leading journals such as Nature, and has secured more than 40 international and domestic invention patents. Throughout the research process, the team emphasized interdisciplinary collaboration and applied artificial intelligence to significantly shorten the development cycle for electrolyte material screening. They also strengthened international and industry-academia partnerships, working closely with the National University of Singapore, the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources, and several leading domestic enterprises to advance both fundamental innovation and engineering application.

By Eva Yin