Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41345082›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Hydrotrope-enabled high concentration aqueous electrolytes for reversible and sustainable iron metal anodes.

Guangxia Feng, Zaichun Liu, John Holoubek, Louisa C Greenburg, Ge Zhang, Yuqi Li, Xun Guan, Yi Cui, Pu Zhang, Adam Brest and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Role of the Fe-FeClChemical science · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Guangxia FengDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1448-8815
Zaichun LiuDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
John HoloubekDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0015-4512
Louisa C GreenburgDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0545-0081
Ge ZhangDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2631-8987
Yuqi LiDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1501-1549
Xun GuanDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0688-1246
Yi CuiDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6103-6352
Pu ZhangDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4186-699X
Adam BrestDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2394-8640
Xueli ZhengDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. xuelizh8@stanford.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6800-2649
Yi CuiDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. yicui@stanford.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8219-1856

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Iron metal-based energy storage devices hold great potential in stationary grid-scale sustainable energy due to the high theoretical specific capacity, ultralow cost, and abundance of iron. However, their practical deployment is limited by the poor reversibility of iron plating and stripping, as well as competitive hydrogen evolution. Here we introduce the concept of hydrotropy into iron electrolytes by developing an environmentally friendly and cost-effective high-concentration ferrous sulfate electrolyte using urea as a hydrotropic agent. The designed electrolyte increases the Coulombic efficiency of iron metal electrodes to approximately 96.5%, compared with ~84.6% for the dilute electrolyte. Molecular dynamics simulations and Raman spectroscopy illustrate that urea regulates the competitive coordination of anions and urea in the iron solvation sheath, while reconstructing the hydrogen-bond network in free water molecules. This reduces the activity of both solvated and free water, thereby alleviating hydrogen evolution. Moreover, the coordinated anions and urea molecules facilitate the in-situ formation of an organic-inorganic hybrid protective layer on the metallic iron, establishing a physical barrier against water and promoting homogeneous interfacial reactions. This work demonstrates an appealing opportunity to design cost-effective and high-performance electrolytes and propels the practical application of iron metal-based energy storage devices.

Identifiers

PMID41345082
PMCPMC12698696

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.