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

## Summary
Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription 27,99 € / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscription info for Korean customers We have a dedicated website for our Korean customers. Go to natureasia.com Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from $1.95 to $39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Author information Authors and Affiliations 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 Lei Liu ( 刘磊 ) & Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) 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 Xingyu Lu ( 卢星宇 ) Institute of Advanced Technology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China Lei Liu ( 刘磊 ) & Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) Authors Lei Liu ( 刘磊 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Yuxuan Xiang ( 向宇轩 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Xingyu Lu ( 卢星宇 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Corresponding author Correspondence to Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) . Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0 Download citation Received : 07 September 2024 Accepted : 11 March 2026 Published : 17 March 2026 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0 Share this article Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

## Article Content
Subjects
Batteries
Abstract
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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Authors and Affiliations
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
Lei Liu 
(
刘磊
) & Jianhui Wang 
(
王建辉
)
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
Xingyu Lu 
(
卢星宇
)
Institute of Advanced Technology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China
Lei Liu 
(
刘磊
) & Jianhui Wang 
(
王建辉
)
Authors
Lei Liu 
(
刘磊
)
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Yuxuan Xiang 
(
向宇轩
)
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PubMed
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Xingyu Lu 
(
卢星宇
)
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PubMed
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Jianhui Wang 
(
王建辉
)
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Corresponding author
Correspondence to
Jianhui Wang 
(
王建辉
)
.
Supplementary information
Supplementary Information (download PDF
)
This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-27, Supplementary Tables 1-9, Supplementary Discussion 1-2, and Supplementary References.
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Cite this article
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
Download citation
Received
:
07 September 2024
Accepted
:
11 March 2026
Published
:
17 March 2026
DOI
:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- 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 .

### Implications
- 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 .
- Go to natureasia.com Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from $1.95 to $39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Author information Authors and Affiliations 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 Lei Liu ( 刘磊 ) & Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) 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 Xingyu Lu ( 卢星宇 ) Institute of Advanced Technology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, China Lei Liu ( 刘磊 ) & Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) Authors Lei Liu ( 刘磊 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Yuxuan Xiang ( 向宇轩 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Xingyu Lu ( 卢星宇 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) View author publications Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Corresponding author Correspondence to Jianhui Wang ( 王建辉 ) .
- Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0 Download citation Received : 07 September 2024 Accepted : 11 March 2026 Published : 17 March 2026 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10402-0 Share this article Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers author, access, article topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 655.