# Review on Cathode Stabilization by Electrolyte Engineering in Aqueous Batteries

**Authors:** Ronggen Zhang, Xu Liu, Na Gao, Dandan Yin, Xingwang Chen, Hongyang Zhao, Shujiang Ding

PMC · DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-02048-w · 2026-01-28

## TL;DR

This review discusses how electrolyte engineering can stabilize cathode materials in aqueous batteries to improve their performance and longevity.

## Contribution

The paper systematically reviews recent advances in electrolyte engineering for stabilizing various aqueous battery cathodes.

## Key findings

- Fading mechanisms of manganese/vanadium-based and other cathode materials were summarized.
- Electrolyte engineering methods like additives and hydrogel electrolytes improve cathode stability.
- Future electrolyte design should focus on addressing interface reactions in aqueous batteries.

## Abstract

The fading mechanisms of different kinds of state-of-the-art aqueous battery cathodes including manganese/vanadium-based material, chalcogen and halogen materials, Prussian blue analogues, as well as Ni(OH)2 cathodes were summarized.Recent progresses on electrolyte engineering on the stability of cathode materials such as bulk electrolyte modification, electrolyte additives, water-in-salt electrolytes, and hydrogel electrolytes were systematically reviewed.The issues that should be concerned in future electrolyte design for highly state aqueous battery cathodes were proposed.

The fading mechanisms of different kinds of state-of-the-art aqueous battery cathodes including manganese/vanadium-based material, chalcogen and halogen materials, Prussian blue analogues, as well as Ni(OH)2 cathodes were summarized.

Recent progresses on electrolyte engineering on the stability of cathode materials such as bulk electrolyte modification, electrolyte additives, water-in-salt electrolytes, and hydrogel electrolytes were systematically reviewed.

The issues that should be concerned in future electrolyte design for highly state aqueous battery cathodes were proposed.

The stability of cathode materials is a crucial factor that influence the overall performance of aqueous batteries. Electrolyte greatly influences on the stability of cathode material due to the complexed electrochemical–chemical reactions at the interfaces. Therefore, electrolyte engineering is a direct and powerful way to solve various problems at aqueous electrolyte interfaces. In this review article, we firstly summarized the fading mechanisms of different kinds of state-of-the-art aqueous battery cathodes including manganese/vanadium-based material, chalcogen and halogen materials, Prussian blue analogues, and Ni(OH)2 cathodes. Afterward, we reviewed recent progresses on electrolyte engineering on the stability of cathode materials such as bulk electrolyte modification, electrolyte additives, water-in-salt electrolytes, and hydrogel electrolytes. Finally, we proposed the issues that should be concerned in future electrolyte design for highly state aqueous battery cathodes.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** Ni(OH)2 (PubChem CID 61534)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** J (MESH:C563874), fire accident (MESH:D000081084), T (MESH:D001260)
- **Chemicals:** zinc-iodide (MESH:C029770), xanthan gum (MESH:C002563), Chalcogen (MESH:D018011), Salt (MESH:D012492), ZnO (MESH:D015034), Zn(OTf)2 (MESH:C000726230), V (MESH:D014639), ammonium (MESH:D064751), PVA (MESH:C063253), Ni(OH)2 (MESH:C037473), methanol (MESH:D000432), ZnCl2 (MESH:C016837), -ether (MESH:D004986), SDS (MESH:D012967), nitrogen (MESH:D009584), Co (MESH:D003035), polyaniline (MESH:C416807), TeO2 (MESH:C016774), ChCl (MESH:D002794), EG (MESH:D019855), ferrocyanides (MESH:D005295), tetraethoxysilane (MESH:C040733), butanedinitrile (MESH:C010337), gamma-MnOOH (MESH:C494384), Ni (MESH:D009532), Zinc (MESH:D015032), Na2SO4 (MESH:C012036), Ferrocene (MESH:C004998), ferrocenium (MESH:C064804), metal (MESH:D008670), PC (MESH:C045990), ICl (MESH:C009813), cellulose (MESH:D002482), KI (MESH:C066186), S (MESH:D013455), iodide (MESH:D007454), Fe (MESH:D007501), Li (MESH:D008094), poly(vinyl alcohol) (MESH:D011142), Pyridine (MESH:C023666), Acetonitrile (MESH:C032159), SiO2 (MESH:D012822), PEG400 (MESH:C000595213), MgCl2 (MESH:D015636), DMC (MESH:C023025), NO3- (MESH:C038619), Cd (MESH:D002104), sodium (MESH:D012964), polyethylene glycol (MESH:D011092), AgCl (MESH:C037548), MXene (MESH:C000723374), Cl (MESH:D002713), Electrolyte (MESH:D004573), Ni2+ (-), S8 (MESH:C039415), V2O5 (MESH:C066075), VC (MESH:C098534), proton (MESH:D011522), ammonium sulfate (MESH:D000645), decavanadates (MESH:D014638)

## Figures

12 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12852544/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12852544