"Bringing batteries to life" — this is not a science fiction concept, but a new vision for future energy systems proposed by Professor Chen Renjie's team from the School of Materials at Beijing Institute of Technology. Drawing inspiration from the energy self-management mechanisms that have evolved over billions of years in natural life systems, the team has recently published a forward-looking review titled Life Cells for Future Energy Systems: Adaptation, Evolution and Exploration in National Science Review (impact factor: 17.1).

The paper systematically elaborates on the design principles, biomimetic materials and system architectures of "life batteries", offering new insights for integrated regulation of energy harvesting, conversion, storage and utilization, thus advancing battery technology toward efficiency, intelligence and sustainability.

Currently, traditional battery technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries, face multiple challenges, including energy density limitations, insufficient intelligence and environmental safety concerns, which hinder their capacity to fully meet the complex demands of future energy systems. Enhancing performance while endowing batteries with greater environmental adaptability, self-management capabilities and even performance "growth" potential has become a crucial research direction in the energy storage field.

From an interdisciplinary perspective, the BIT research team juxtaposed biological cells with electrochemical batteries and discovered profound commonalities in their energy acquisition, conversion, storage and usage functions. The team innovatively proposed the concept of "life batteries", aiming to transcend the static storage logic of traditional batteries and realize the "endogenous vitalization" of material selection, system structure and operational mechanisms.

In terms of operational mechanisms, the team systematically constructed a life battery system inspired by natural energy strategies, categorizing it into three types: light-driven — simulating photosynthesis to achieve direct conversion and storage of light energy into electrical energy; respiration-driven — borrowing the electron transfer mechanism of cellular respiration chains, using biological or biomimetic catalysts to efficiently convert chemical energy; and chemical-driven — learning from the inorganic metabolism pathways of extremophile microorganisms to autonomously acquire energy under harsh conditions. All three systems follow a dual-track development path of "biological prototype inspiration — artificial biomimetic construction", providing diverse technological prototypes for the application of life batteries in different scenarios.

While the development of life batteries still faces multiple challenges ranging from mechanisms, materials to systems, it also holds transformative application prospects. The article notes that transitioning from laboratory to large-scale application requires establishing a unified standard system encompassing materials, algorithms, and ethics to ensure the healthy and orderly development of life battery systems in the future.

Led by Academician Wu Feng, the team has long been engaged in secondary battery research to meet major national energy needs.

Since the 1990s, the team has continuously advanced key technology development for nickel-metal hydride batteries, and subsequently established a systematic layout and distinctive accumulation in lithium-ion batteries and multi-electron high-energy-density secondary battery systems. In recent years, the team has further conducted innovative research on smart batteries, structural batteries, green batteries, biomimetic batteries and special power supplies for extreme environments, having achieved a series of advancements in material design, interface control, system integration and scenario expansion. These efforts provide significant support for the development of the next generation of high-safety, high-adaptability energy storage technologies.