Aqueous Metal–Ion Batteries

Dear Colleagues,

Aqueous metal–ion batteries are considered to be promising candidates for stationary energy storage technology due to their inherent low cost, intrinsic safety, and environmental friendliness. The energy density and cycle life are limited by the narrow electrochemical stable window (ESW) (≈1.23 V). The aggressiveness of aqueous electrolytes with highly polar and strongly coordinated water usually causes various side reactions, such as water electrolysis, the corrosion of metal anodes and current collectors, the dissolution of electrode materials, and interface instability. However, water also endows aqueous batteries with some attractive features beyond safety and low cost, including a fast-charging capability and high power density.

For this Special Issue, we are looking for contributions helping to:

• Understand the electrode degradation mechanisms through ex situ and in situ analysis for key materials and their interfaces;
• Design the electrolyte solvation to regulate the electrolyte–electrode interfacial chemistry;
• Develop new electrolyte chemistries to suppress water electrolysis and expand the ESW;
• Understand the interfaces of aqueous batteries by combined characterization and simulation methods;
• Develop innovative electrode materials to increase the energy density or to enable an explosion of new battery chemistries;
• Improve the reversibility in plating/stripping of metal anodes and avoid the formation of dendrites;
• Develop new battery designs from the perspectives of energy density, cost, lifespan, etc.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Innovative electrode material for high energy density;
• New electrolyte chemistry and new electrolyte solvation design, including new salts, new solvents and new additives;
• Surface/interface engineering;
• Advanced electrochemical characterization techniques for interfaces;
• Chemical and phase characterization of materials and failure analysis;
• Stable and cost-effective current collector materials and treatments;
• Innovative battery chemistry with attractive features;
• Overpotential control;
• Functional separators;
• Design and modification of metal anodes;
• Cathode materials for multivalent cation insertion/extraction.

Dr. Chun Fang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• degradation mechanism
• electrolyte chemistry
• interface characterization
• ESW expansion
• current collector
• metal anode
• plating/stripping reversibility
• dendrites suppression
• multivalent cation storage
• high energy density