In fulfillment of the national science-and-technology development agenda, the Department of Chemical Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) convened the Strategic Symposium on the Fifteenth Five-Year (2026-2030) Development Plan for Electrochemistry held in Xiamen on 29 August, 2025—the culminating year of the Fourteenth Five-Year (2021-2025) Development Plan. More than forty leading experts in the field of electrochemistry participated with spanning nine thematic fronts: Interfacial Electrocatalysis, Interfacial Electrochemistry for Energy Storage, Bioelectrochemistry, Electrochemistry of Hydrogen Energy, Electrochemical Micro-/Nano-Manufacturing, Operando Electrochemical Characterization, Electro-Thermal Coupling Catalysis, Theoretical and Computational Electrochemistry, and Electrochemical Synthesis. The forum assembled China's foremost electrochemical expertise to blueprint high-quality disciplinary growth for the coming five-year period, thereby serving overarching national strategic needs and sharpening the international competitiveness of Chinese electrochemistry.

This paper is presented to highlight the strategic needs and priority areas for the next five years (2026-2030) based on this symposium. The development status of basic research and applied basic research in China's electrochemistry field is systematically reviewed. The in-depth analyses of the existing problems and key challenges in the research and development of electrochemistry related fields are outlined, and the frontier research areas and development trends in the next 5-10 years by integrating national major strategic needs are discussed, which will further promote the academic community to reach a clearer consensus. The proposed strategic roadmap is intended to accelerate a sharpened community consensus, propel the discipline toward high-quality advancement, and furnish a critical reference for building China into a world-leading science and technology power.

Solid-state lithium batteries have become a research hotspot in the field of large-scale energy storage due to their excellent safety performance. The development of high-voltage positive electrode materials matched with lithium metal anode have advanced the energy density of solid-state lithium batteries close to or even exceeding that of lithium batteries based on a liquid electrolyte, which is expected to be commercialized in the future. However, in high voltage conditions (> 4.3 V), the decomposition of electrolyte components, structural degradation, and interface side reactions significantly reduce battery performance and hinder its further development. This review summarizes the latest research progress of inorganic electrolytes, polymer electrolytes, and composite electrolytes in high-voltage solid-state lithium batteries. At the same time, the designs of high-voltage polymer gel electrolyte and high-voltage quasi solid-state electrolyte are introduced in detail. In addition, interface engineering is crucial for improving the overall performance of high-voltage solid-state batteries. Finally, we highlight the challenges faced by high-voltage solid-state lithium batteries and put forward our own views on future research directions. This review offers instructive insights into the advancement of high-voltage solid-state lithium batteries for large-scale energy storage applications.

With the widespread adoption of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), safety concerns associated with flammable organic electrolytes have become increasingly critical. Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs), with enhanced safety and higher energy density potential, are regarded as a promising next-generation energy storage technology. However, the practical application of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) remains hindered by several challenges, including low Li⁺ ion conductivity, poor interfacial compatibility with electrodes, unfavorable mechanical properties and difficulties in scalable manufacturing. This review systematically examines recent progress in SSEs, including inorganic types (oxides, sulfides, halides), organic types (polymers, plastic crystals, poly(ionic liquids) (PILs)), and the emerging class of soft solid-state electrolytes (S³Es), especially those based on “rigid-flexible synergy” composites and “Li⁺-desolvation” mechanism using porous frameworks. Critical assessment reveals that single-component SSEs face inherent limitations that are difficult to be fully overcome through compositional and structural modification alone. In contrast, S³Es integrate the strength of complementary components to achieve a balanced and synergic enhancement in electrochemical properties (e.g., ionic conductivity and stability window), mechanical integrity, and processability, showing great promise as next-generation SSEs. Furthermore, the application-oriented challenges and emerging trends in S³E research are outlined, aiming to provide strategic insights into future development of high-performance SSEs.