Heterostructures for advanced rechargeable batteries

Heterostructure materials with well-defined interfaces between distinct materials generate key interfacial physical effects, including band bending, built-in electric fields, and lattice strain. An inferior heterointerface severely hinders ion transport across the interface and exacerbates interfacial side reactions, leading to a shorter battery cycle life. In this review, we systematically examine the design principles and functional mechanisms of heterostructures for rechargeable batteries. The fundamental properties of heterostructures can be categorized into built-in electric fields that accelerate charge transfer, catalytic activity arising from interfacial defects, and the buffering effect of rigid-flexible coupled structures. We further summarize the latest advancements in heterostructures to mitigate electrode phase transitions and volume expansion in metal-ion batteries, including the realization of catalytic conversion of lithium polysulfides in lithium-sulfur batteries, the reduction of overpotential for oxygen reactions at the Mott-Schottky interface in metal-air batteries, and the inhibition of hydrogen evolution in aqueous batteries. This review aims to provide guidance for the rational design of heterostructure electrodes in advanced rechargeable batteries, shifting strategies from empirical material combinations toward targeted interfacial functionality.