Constructing mutual-philic electrode/non-liquid electrolyte interfaces in electrochemical energy storage systems: Reasons, progress, and perspectives

Recent progress in synthesizing non-liquid electrolytes with high ionic conductivity has rejuvenated the field of solid-state energy storage devices and promises to provide safer electrochemical energy storage system. However, non-liquid electrolytes with weak flexible framework, poor fluidity, and even non-fluidity show worse mutual-philicity with electrode, which hampers transport and uniform distribution of electrolyte ions in electrode/non-liquid electrolyte interfaces. In recent years, modification strategies of constructing mutual-philic electrode/non-liquid electrolyte interfaces have been developed to effectively overcome the above-mentioned problem. This perspective clarifies the basic contents of interfacial mutual-philicity between electrode and non-liquid electrolytes and its impact mechanism on electrochemical energy storage performance of the electrode from the nature of the electrochemical reaction between electrode and non-liquid electrolytes at the interfaces. The design ideas, modification strategies, and research progress of constructing mutual-philic electrode/non-liquid electrolyte interfaces are systematically and comprehensively evaluated from two-dimension to three-dimension. Not only that, the development of new modification strategies, the conception of dual-high continuous conductivity networks, the dialectical study taking into account other factors, the in-depth understanding from microscopic perspective, and the evaluation of industrial production for constructing mutual-philic electrode/non-liquid electrolyte interfaces are expected to be presented in the future research work.