Rechargeable Lithium-Hydrogen Gas Batteries

The global clean energy transition and carbon neutrality call for developing high-performance batteries. Here we report a rechargeable lithium metal - catalytic hydrogen gas (Li−H) battery utilizing two of the lightest elements, Li and H. The Li−H battery operates through redox of H₂/H⁺ on the cathode and Li/Li⁺ on the anode. The universal properties of the H₂ cathode enable the battery to demonstrate attractive electrochemical performance, including high theoretical specific energy up to 2825 Wh kg⁻¹, discharge voltage of 3 V, round-trip efficiency of 99.7 %, reversible areal capacity of 5–20 mAh cm⁻², all-climate characteristics with a wide operational temperature range of −20–80 °C, and high utilization of active materials. A rechargeable anode-free Li−H battery is further constructed by plating Li metal from cost-effective lithium salts under a low catalyst loading of <0.1 mg cm⁻². This work presents a route to design batteries based on catalytic hydrogen gas cathode for high-performance energy storage applications.