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Published on: June 9, 2023
Operando-Defined Amorphous Energy Materials for Electrochemical Energy Systems: From Structural Definition to
Lijun Chen1, Wenxiu Li1, Xueli Zhang1
1Shanxi Research Institute of Huairou Laboratory, Taiyuan 030032, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 13, 2026
Summary
This review introduces a framework to understand and design amorphous energy materials, moving beyond simple diffraction analysis. It focuses on quantitative control of dynamically evolving structures for improved electrochemical performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Amorphous materials offer unique advantages for electrochemical energy applications due to their structural flexibility.
- Current methods for identifying amorphousness are limited, often failing to distinguish true amorphous phases from complex crystalline or reconstructed structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish an operando-defined framework for understanding and designing amorphous energy materials.
- To clarify the structural hierarchy and identify key descriptors for amorphous materials.
- To guide the rational design of amorphous materials for enhanced electrochemical performance.
Main Methods:
- Defining structural hierarchy: short-range order, medium-range connectivity, interfacial heterogeneity, and reconstruction propensity.
- Examining synthesis control over disorder.
- Utilizing multimodal characterization, operando measurements, and experiment-constrained modeling to resolve structures.
- Discussing structure-performance relationships in various electrochemical devices.
Main Results:
- Identification of key structural descriptors for amorphous materials.
- Demonstration of how synthesis influences disorder.
- Resolution of local and working-state structures through advanced characterization and modeling.
- Establishment of structure-performance relationships in electrocatalysis, batteries, supercapacitors, and solid electrolytes.
Conclusions:
- A new framework enables quantitative control over dynamically evolving amorphous structures.
- The approach moves beyond empirical 'XRD-amorphous' classification.
- Descriptor-guided interface engineering and data-driven strategies facilitate rational design of amorphous energy materials.
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