Nanoarchitectured In-situ Pre-Lithiated Carbon Anode for High-Power and Long-Life Li-Ion Capacitors

Abstract

Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) combine high energy and power densities but often suffer from poor cycle stability (<10,000 cycles) due to uncontrolled Li+ ion losses during solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formation and irreversible side reactions. From the industrial standpoint, achieving >20,000 cycles necessitates an adequate pre-lithiation strategy that efficiently replenishes ions to offset such losses. This work proposes a scalable pre-lithiation approach by adding a thin lithium metal foil (46 µm) in direct contact with the anode while assembling LIC. The electrochemical potential difference between the Li foil and the carbon-coated porous current collector anode facilitates the lithiation process and promotes in-situ pre-lithiation (ISP). After a 10 h pre-lithiation time, the resultant LiCx and SEI layer were verified by ex-situ characterizations. The optimized LIC demonstrated a best-in-class specific energy of 204 Wh kg-1 and a specific power of 5.5 kW kg-1. The device achieved a remarkable capacity retention of 87 % after 40,000 full charge-discharge cycles, equivalent to 631 h. This structurally engineered strategy underscores the critical role of pre-lithiation in advancing the next-generation, high-performance energy storage solutions.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Jul 2025
Accepted
01 Sep 2025
First published
04 Sep 2025

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Nanoarchitectured In-situ Pre-Lithiated Carbon Anode for High-Power and Long-Life Li-Ion Capacitors

N. Bansal, A. Hussain, N. Kumar, C. Park, H. Ahn, Y. Yamauchi and R. R. Salunkhe, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5TA05543A

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