Featured Publications

Publications

2026

41. Choi, S., Kim, J., Seo, J., Amine, K., Bai, P., Boo, D.-K., Chen, Z., Cho, Y., Choi, J. W., Choi, N.-S., Choi, T. Y., Choi, W., Cui, Y., Gallant, B. M., Ge, S., Hatzell, K. B., Jang, Y., Ju, Z., Jung, J.-W., Kim, H.-T., Kim, I., Kim, M.-H., Kim, M. S., Kim, P. J., Kim, S. C., Kim, Y., Ko, S., Koo, H., Lee, H., Lee, J., Li, J., Li, Y., Liu, P., Liu, Y., Lopez, J., McDowell, M. T., Nguyen, T., Oyakhire, S. T., Ramesh, S. L., Sagong, M., Wang, N., Warner, J. H., Woo, S., Xu, G.-L., Xu, K., Yao, Y., Yu, G., Zhang, J.-G., Kim, I.-D., Lee, H. & Lee, H.-W. Targeting 100% Lithium Utilization in Lithium Metal Batteries. ACS Nano 20, 22265–22327 (2026).

40. Lee, J. H., Zhang, W., Ye, Y., Holmes, S. E., Lomeli, E. G., Shuchi, S. B., Kim, S. C., Kim, M. S., Lee, J., Choi, I. R., Li, D., Ai, H., Sayavong, P., Oyakhire, S. T., Kute, M., Devereaux, T. P. & Cui, Y. On-demand capacity extraction through thermo-electrochemical hysteresis in metastable Li-Cu alloy.Joule, 102632 (2026).

39. Lee, J. H., Lee, J. K. J., Zhang, P., Holmes, S. E., Zhang, W., Choi, I. R., Kim, S. C., Lee, J., Shuchi, S. B., Kim, M. S., Bao, Z., Chiu, W. & Cui, Y. Redox staining of metallic lithium inside batteries for multimodal visualization and identification with multiscale spatial resolution.Journal of the American Chemical Society148, 30019–30028 (2026).

38. Seo, M., Bayu Aji, L. B., Zepeda-Ruiz, L. A., Kim, S. C., Tzeng, Y.-K., Chu, S. & Kucheyev, S. O. Dynamics of radiation damage buildup in ultrathin hexagonal boron nitride films under ion bombardmentACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 18, 28234–28242 (2026).

37. Su, H., Hinks, E., Chen, Y., Kim, S. C., Li, Y., Chi, X., Zhang, P., Wang, J., Choi, I. R., Mao, H., Huang, I., Xu, X., Chen, Z., Qin, J. & Cui, Y. High-entropy second solvation shell by anion diversity for aqueous zinc-ion electrolytesACS Energy Letters 11, 3265–3273 (2026).

2025

36. Kim, M. S., Wang, J., Zhang, W., Sayavong, P., Zhang, Z., Oyakhire, S. T, Shuchi, S. B., Kim, S. C., Cui, Y., Chen, Y., Yu, Z., Gong, H., Xu, R., Lee, J., Choi, I. R., Lee, J. H., Persson, K. A, Qin, J., Bao, Z., Cui, Y. Elucidating the effects of LiF on lithium metal anodes. Nano Letters25, 14625-14634 (2025).

35. Lee, J., Kim, M. S., Cui, Y., Zhang, W., Shuchi, S. B., Holmes, S. E, Lee, J. H., Serrao, C., Kim, S. C., Holoubek, J., Sayavong, P., Cai, A., Choi, I. R., Cui, Y. Reactive suspension electrolytes for lithium metal batteries. ACS Energy Letters 10, 4252-4259 (2025).

34. Oyakhire, S. T., Kim, S. C., Zhang, W., Shuchi, S. B., Cui, Y., Bent, S. F. Galvanic corrosion underlies coulombic efficiency differences in high-performing lithium metal battery electrolytes. Energy and Environmental Science 18, 4847-4858 (2025).

33. Kim, S. C., Pan, J.-A., Shah, A., Chen, Y., Park, H., Yang, Y., Zhang, W., Greenburg, L. C., Sogade, T., Chen, A., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Correlating Solvation Free Energy to Electrolyte Properties for Lithium Metal Batteries. Nano Letters25, 4673-4680 (2025).

32. Zhang, E., Chen, Y., Holoubek, J., Yu, Z., Zhang, W., Lyu, H., Choi, I. R., Kim, S. C., Serrao, C., Cui, Y. & Bao, Z. Monofluorinated acetal electrolyte for high-performance lithium metal batteries. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences122, e2418623122 (2025).

31. Choi, I. R., Chen, Y., Shah, A., Florian, J., Serrao, C., Holoubek, J., Lyu, H., Zhang, E., Lee, J. H., Lin, Y., Kim, S. C., Park, H., Zhang, P., Lee, J., Qin, J., Cui, Y. & Bao, Z. Asymmetric ether solvents for high-rate lithium metal batteries. Nature Energy10, 365-379 (2025).

30. Kim, S. C., Gigantino, M., Holoubek, J., Matthews, J. E., Chen, J., Dho, Y., Jaramillo, T. F., Cui, Y., Majumdar, A., Tzeng, Y.-K. & Chu, S. Electrochemical CO2 capture with pH-independent redox chemistry. arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.01028 (2025).

2024

29. Zhang, W., Sayavong, P., Xiao, X., Oyakhire, S. T., Shuchi, S. B., Vilá, R. A., Boyle, D. T., Kim, S. C., Kim, M. S., Holmes, S. E., Ye, Y., Li, D., Bent, S. F. & Cui, Y. Recovery of isolated lithium through discharged state calendar ageing. Nature626, 306-312 (2024).

28. Kim, S. C., Gao, X., Liao, S.-L., Su, H., Chen, Y., Zhang, W., Greenburg, L. C., Pan, J.-A., Zheng, X., Ye, Y., Kim, M. S., Sayavong, P., Brest, A., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Solvation-property relationship of lithium-sulphur battery electrolytes. Nature Communications15, 1268 (2024).

27. Holmes, S. E., Zhang, W., Kim, S. C. & Cui, Y. A New Lithium Thioborate–Lithium Iodide Solid-State Electrolyte with High Ionic Conductivity for Lithium Metal Batteries. ACS Energy Letters9, 1898-1906 (2024).

26. Chen, Y., Liao, S.-L., Gong, H., Zhang, Z., Huang, Z., Kim, S. C., Zhang, E., Lyu, H., Yu, W., Lin, Y., Sayavong, P., Cui, Y., Qin, J. & Bao, Z. Hyperconjugation-controlled molecular conformation weakens lithium-ion solvation and stabilizes lithium metal anodes. Chemical Science15, 19805-19819 (2024).

25. Zhang, G., Li, Y., Guan, X., Hu, G., Su, H., Xu, X., Feng, G., Shuchi, S. B., Kim, S. C., Zhou, J., Xu, R., Xiao, X., Wu, A. & Cui, Y. Spontaneous lithium extraction and enrichment from brine with net energy output driven by counter-ion gradients. Nature Water2, 1091-1101 (2024).

24. Guan, X., Zhang, G., Li, J., Kim, S. C., Feng, G., Li, Y., Cui, T., Brest, A. & Cui, Y. Seawater alkalization via an energy-efficient electrochemical process for CO2 capture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences121, e2410841121 (2024).

23. Chen, Y., Yu, Z., Gong, H., Zhang, W., Rudnicki, P. E., Huang, Z., Yu, W., Kim, S. C., Boyle, D. T., Sayavong, P., Celik, H., Xu, R., Lin, Y., Wang, S., Qin, J., Cui, Y. & Bao, Z. Failure Process During Fast Charging of Lithium Metal Batteries with Weakly Solvating Fluoroether Electrolytes. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C128, 11487-11497 (2024).

2023

22. Kim, S. C., Wang, J., Xu, R., Zhang, P., Chen, Y., Huang, Z., Yang, Y., Yu, Z., Oyakhire, S. T., Zhang, W., Greenburg, L. C., Kim, M. S., Boyle, D. T., Sayavong, P., Ye, Y., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. High-entropy electrolytes for practical lithium metal batteries. Nature Energy8, 814-826 (2023).

21. Kim, M. S., Zhang, Z., Wang, J., Oyakhire, S. T., Kim, S. C., Yu, Z., Chen, Y., Boyle, D. T., Ye, Y., Huang, Z., Zhang, W., Xu, R., Sayavong, P., Bent, S. F., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Revealing the Multifunctions of Li3N in the Suspension Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries. ACS Nano17, 3168-3180 (2023).

20. Oyakhire, S. T., Liao, S.-L., Shuchi, S. B., Kim, M. S., Kim, S. C., Yu, Z., Vilá, R. A., Rudnicki, P. E., Cui, Y. & Bent, S. F. Proximity Matters: Interfacial Solvation Dictates Solid Electrolyte Interphase Composition. Nano Letters23, 7524-7531 (2023).

19. Kim, S. C., Oyakhire, S. T., Athanitis, C., Wang, J., Zhang, Z., Zhang, W., Boyle, D. T., Kim, M. S., Yu, Z., Gao, X., Sogade, T., Wu, E., Qin, J., Bao, Z., Bent, S. F. & Cui, Y. Data-driven electrolyte design for lithium metal anodes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences120, e2214357120 (2023).

18. Sayavong, P., Zhang, W., Oyakhire, S. T., Boyle, D. T., Chen, Y., Kim, S. C., Vilá, R. A., Holmes, S. E., Kim, M. S., Bent, S. F., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Dissolution of the Solid Electrolyte Interphase and Its Effects on Lithium Metal Anode Cyclability. Journal of the American Chemical Society145, 12342-12350 (2023).

17. Yang, Y., Wang, J., Kim, S. C., Zhang, W., Peng, Y., Zhang, P., Vilá, R. A., Ma, Y., Jeong, Y. K. & Cui, Y. In Situ Prelithiation by Direct Integration of Lithium Mesh into Battery Cells. Nano Letters23, 5042-5047 (2023).

16. Oyakhire, S. T., Zhang, W., Yu, Z., Holmes, S. E., Sayavong, P., Kim, S. C., Boyle, D. T., Kim, M. S., Zhang, Z., Cui, Y. & Bent, S. F. Correlating the Formation Protocols of Solid Electrolyte Interphases with Practical Performance Metrics in Lithium Metal Batteries. ACS Energy Letters8, 869-877 (2023).

2022

15. Yu, Z., Rudnicki, P. E., Zhang, Z., Huang, Z., Celik, H., Oyakhire, S. T., Chen, Y., Kong, X., Kim, S. C., Xiao, X., Wang, H., Zheng, Y., Kamat, G. A., Kim, M. S., Bent, S. F., Qin, J., Cui, Y. & Bao, Z. Rational solvent molecule tuning for high-performance lithium metal battery electrolytes. Nature Energy7, 94-106 (2022).

14. Wang, H., Yu, Z., Kong, X., Kim, S. C., Boyle, D. T., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Liquid electrolyte: The nexus of practical lithium metal batteries. Joule6, 588-616 (2022).

13. Kim, M. S., Zhang, Z., Rudnicki, P. E., Yu, Z., Wang, J., Wang, H., Oyakhire, S. T., Chen, Y., Kim, S. C., Zhang, W., Boyle, D. T., Kong, X., Xu, R., Huang, Z., Huang, W., Bent, S. F., Wang, L.-W., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Suspension electrolyte with modified Li+ solvation environment for lithium metal batteries. Nature Materials21, 445-454 (2022).

12. Boyle, D. T., Kim, S. C., Oyakhire, S. T., Vilá, R. A., Huang, Z., Sayavong, P., Qin, J., Bao, Z. & Cui, Y. Correlating Kinetics to Cyclability Reveals Thermodynamic Origin of Lithium Anode Morphology in Liquid Electrolytes. Journal of the American Chemical Society144, 20717-20725 (2022).

11. Kim, S. C., Huang, W., Zhang, Z., Wang, J., Kim, Y., Jeong, Y. K., Oyakhire, S. T., Yang, Y. & Cui, Y. Graphene coating on silicon anodes enabled by thermal surface modification for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. MRS Bulletin47, 127-133 (2022).

10. Yang, Y., Chen, H., Wan, J., Xu, R., Zhang, P., Zhang, W., Oyakhire, S. T., Kim, S. C., Boyle, D. T., Peng, Y., Ma, Y. & Cui, Y. An Interdigitated Li-Solid Polymer Electrolyte Framework for Interfacial Stable All-Solid-State Batteries. Advanced Energy Materials12, 2201160 (2022).

2021

9. Chen, Y., Yu, Z., Rudnicki, P., Gong, H., Huang, Z., Kim, S. C., Lai, J.-C., Kong, X., Qin, J., Cui, Y. & Bao, Z. Steric Effect Tuned Ion Solvation Enabling Stable Cycling of High-Voltage Lithium Metal Battery. Journal of the American Chemical Society143, 18703-18713 (2021).

8. Kim, S. C., Kong, X., Vilá, R. A., Huang, W., Chen, Y., Boyle, D. T., Yu, Z., Wang, H., Bao, Z., Qin, J. & Cui, Y. Potentiometric Measurement to Probe Solvation Energy and Its Correlation to Lithium Battery Cyclability. Journal of the American Chemical Society143, 10301-10308 (2021).

7. Wang, H., Kim, S. C., Rojas, T., Zhu, Y., Li, Y., Ma, L., Xu, K., Ngo, A. T. & Cui, Y. Correlating Li-Ion Solvation Structures and Electrode Potential Temperature Coefficients. Journal of the American Chemical Society143, 2264-2271 (2021).

2020

6. Ye, Y., Chou, L.-Y., Liu, Y., Wang, H., Lee, H. K., Huang, W., Wan, J., Liu, K., Zhou, G., Yang, Y., Yang, A., Xiao, X., Gao, X., Boyle, D. T., Chen, H., Zhang, W., Kim, S. C. & Cui, Y. Ultralight and fire-extinguishing current collectors for high-energy and high-safety lithium-ion batteries. Nature Energy5, 786-793 (2020).

5. Wang, H., Zhu, Y., Kim, S. C., Pei, A., Li, Y., Boyle, D. T., Wang, H., Zhang, Z., Ye, Y., Huang, W., Liu, Y., Xu, J., Li, J., Liu, F. & Cui, Y. Underpotential lithium plating on graphite anodes caused by temperature heterogeneity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences117, 29453-29461 (2020).

4. Xu, J., Xiao, X., Zhang, W., Xu, R., Kim, S. C., Cui, Y., Howard, T. T., Wu, E. & Cui, Y. Air-Filtering Masks for Respiratory Protection from PM<sub>2.5</sub> and Pandemic Pathogens. One Earth3, 574-589 (2020).

3. Chen, H., Zhou, G., Boyle, D., Wan, J., Wang, H., Lin, D., Mackanic, D., Zhang, Z., Kim, S. C., Lee, H. R., Wang, H., Huang, W., Ye, Y. & Cui, Y. Electrode Design with Integration of High Tortuosity and Sulfur-Philicity for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Battery. Matter2, 1605-1620 (2020).

2. Wang, J., Huang, W., Kim, Y. S., Jeong, Y. K., Kim, S. C., Heo, J., Lee, H. K., Liu, B., Nah, J. & Cui, Y. Scalable synthesis of nanoporous silicon microparticles for highly cyclable lithium-ion batteries. Nano Research13, 1558-1563 (2020).

1. Jeong, Y. K., Huang, W., Vilá, R. A., Huang, W., Wang, J., Kim,S. C., Kim, Y. S., Zhao, J. & Cui, Y. Microclusters of Kinked Silicon Nanowires Synthesized by a Recyclable Iodide Process for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes. Advanced Energy Materials10, 2002108 (2020).