Professor Zhang Yalei and Prof. Chu Huaqiang's Research Team Published in PNAS:Stress-homogenized Spatial Architectures via Entropy-driven Self-assembly Enabling High-performance and Durable Lithium Extraction

Recently, the team led by Professor Zhang Yalei and Professor Chu Huaqiang from CESE published a research paper titled Stress-homogenized spatial architectures via entropy-driven self-assembly enabling high-performance and durable lithium extraction in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The global transition to sustainable energy has created an urgent demand for lithium resources. Electrochemical lithium extraction technology based on spinel-type LiMn₂O₄ (LMO) shows significant potential; however, its application is severely limited by stress accumulation and mechanical degradation caused by anisotropic volume changes during cycling. This study proposes an entropy-driven amphiphilic self-assembly strategy to construct a stress-homogenized multilayered core-shell LMO architecture (LMO-MCS). By regulating the internal geometric structure to optimize stress-strain behavior, this approach synergistically enhances the uniformity of ion distribution, transport kinetics, and electrochemical stability.

Article link: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2525797123