Electrochemical Activation, Sintering, and Reconstruction in Energy‐Storage Technologies: Origin, Development, and Prospects

Abstract Although there has been significant progress in designing electrode materials and exploring the electrochemical reaction mechanisms in battery systems, the morphological, structural, and compositional evolution of electrode materials during charge/discharge processes remain poorly understood. This review focuses on the morphological evolution of electrode materials during cycling. First, electrode design in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), pointing out the inevitable morphological variations in the electrode during cycling, is discussed. To describe such variations, the origins of electrochemical activation, sintering, and reconstruction in LIBs are introduced. Their development, providing a profound interpretation of the morphological evolution and associated performance, in situ characterization of the reconstruction process, and advanced means for self‐adaptive reconstruction, is summarized. Subsequently, electrode materials and energy‐storage devices applicable to these concepts are introduced. Finally, current research challenges, e.g., deficiencies in the available research methods, limited information available on electrochemical reconstruction, and lack of precise control over electrochemical reconstruction, are discussed. Furthermore, the most likely areas where further breakthroughs in electrochemical reconstruction may be achieved are discussed. This review is expected to promote research interest in studies on the morphological, structural, and compositional variations in electrode materials and expand the connection between electrochemical activation, sintering, and reconstruction, facilitating the development of energy‐storage devices.