The high‐energy‐density, Li‐rich layered materials, i.e., xLiMO2(1‐x)Li2MnO3, are promising candidate cathode materials for electric energy storage in plug‐in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). The relatively low rate capability is one of the major problems that need to be resolved for these materials. To gain insight into the key factors that limit the rate capability, in situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies of the cathode material, Li1.2Ni0.15Co0.1Mn0.55O2 [0.5Li(Ni0.375Co0.25 Mn0.375)O2·0.5Li2MnO3], are carried out. The partial capacity contributed by different structural components and transition metal elements is elucidated and correlated with local structure changes. The characteristic reaction kinetics for each element are identified using a novel time‐resolved XAS technique. Direct experimental evidence is obtained showing that Mn sites have much poorer reaction kinetics both before and after the initial activation of Li2MnO3, compared to Ni and Co. These results indicate that Li2MnO3 may be the key component that limits the rate capability of Li‐rich layered materials and provide guidance for designing Li‐rich layered materials with the desired balance of energy density and rate capability for different applications.

A peroxidase catalyzes the oxidation of a substrate with a peroxide. The search for peroxidase-like and other enzyme-like nanomaterials (called nanozymes) mainly relies on trial-and-error strategies, due to the lack of predictive descriptors. To fill this gap, here we investigate the occupancy of eg orbitals as a possible descriptor for the peroxidase-like activity of transition metal oxide (including perovskite oxide) nanozymes. Both experimental measurements and density functional theory calculations reveal a volcano relationship between the eg occupancy and nanozymes’ activity, with the highest peroxidase-like activities corresponding to eg occupancies of ~1.2. LaNiO3-δ, optimized based on the eg occupancy, exhibits an activity one to two orders of magnitude higher than that of other representative peroxidase-like nanozymes. This study shows that the eg occupancy is a predictive descriptor to guide the design of peroxidase-like nanozymes; in addition, it provides detailed insight into the catalytic mechanism of peroxidase-like nanozymes.

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Amorphous iron phosphate (FePO4) has attracted enormous attention as a promising cathode material for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) because of its high theoretical specific capacity and superior electrochemical reversibility. Nevertheless, the low rate performance and rapid capacity decline seriously hamper its implementation in SIBs. Herein, we demonstrate a sagacious multi‐step templating approach to skillfully craft amorphous FePO4 yolk–shell nanospheres with mesoporous nanoyolks supported inside the robust porous outer nanoshells. Their unique architecture and large surface area enable these amorphous FePO4 yolk–shell nanospheres to manifest remarkable sodium storage properties with high reversible capacity, outstanding rate performance, and ultralong cycle life.

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