Free pouch cells

Nature ( 2026 ) Cite this article
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Anode-free lithium metal batteries (AFLMBs), which are manufactured without anode active material, offer great potential for high-energy-density, low-cost energy storage.

However, AFLMBs face a long-standing challenge of short lifespan due to the harsh conditions of lacking excess Li-resource and an anode host 1-8 .

This issue is associated with uneven Li deposition/dissolution, rooted in the micro-heterogeneity and mechanical fragility of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) 9 .

Here we report a practical 500 Wh kg –1 -level AFLMB with enhanced lifespan, achieved using a crossover-coupled electrolyte.

The electrolyte triggers crossover-coupled interfacial reactions that generate a B–F-based polymer-rich SEI at the anode while suppressing gas evolution at the cathode.

The resulting SEI exhibits sub-nanometer homogeneity, high flexibility, and rapid Li-ion transport, and it spontaneously develops a self-adaptive mesh-film structure that ensures uniform ion flux and large-volume-change accommodation, thereby realizing reversible planar Li deposition/dissolution of 5.6 mAh cm –2 .

Consequently, a 2.7 Ah AFLMB (508 Wh kg –1 , 1668 Wh L –1 ) without any host-material coating demonstrates stable cycling for 100 cycles at 100% depth of discharge (DoD) and 250 cycles at 80% DoD, with 80% capacity retention and a high-power output of 2650 W kg –1 at 96 Wh kg –1 .

These findings establish crossover-coupled interphase chemistry and address the inherent structural instability of host-free electrodes, advancing the practical implementation of AFLMBs.

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Zhejiang Key Laboratory of 3D Micro/Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
Lei Liu 
( 刘磊 ) & Jianhui Wang 
( 王建辉 )
Division of Solar Energy Conversion and Catalysis at Westlake University, Zhejiang Baima Lake Laboratory Co.

Ltd., Hangzhou, China
Jianhui Wang 
( 王建辉 )
Research Center for Industries of the Future (RCIF), Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
Yuxuan Xiang 
( 向宇轩 )
Instrumentation and Service Center for Molecular Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
Institute of Advanced Technology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar
Correspondence to Jianhui Wang 
( 王建辉 ) .

Supplementary Information (download PDF )
This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-27, Supplementary Tables 1-9, Supplementary Discussion 1-2, and Supplementary References.

Liu, L., Xiang, Y., Lu, X.

et al.

Planar Li deposition and dissolution enable practical anode-free pouch cells.

Nature (2026).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0
DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0