China Focus: Chinese researchers increase lithium battery energy, endurance by 200 percent to 300 percent

This photo provided by Tianjin University shows Hu Wenbin and his colleagues conducting an experiment at a laboratory of the university in north China's Tianjin, Aug. 13, 2025. (Xinhua)

TIANJIN, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have unveiled a novel design for lithium metal batteries, leading to the development of a lithium metal pouch cell with an energy density exceeding 600 Wh/kg and a battery pack achieving 480 Wh/kg.

This innovation, conducted by researchers from China's Tianjin University, represents a 200 percent to 300 percent improvement in both energy density and endurance compared to current lithium-ion batteries. The study was published in Nature online on Wednesday.

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.

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 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.

Hu said 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 said. ■