Halogen redox couples offer several advantages for energy storage such as low cost, high solubility in water, and high redox potential. However, the operational complexity of storing halogens at the oxidation state via liquid‐phase media hampers their widespread application in energy‐storage devices. Herein, an aqueous zinc–dual‐halogen battery system taking the advantages of redox flow batteries (inherent scalability) and intercalation chemistry (high capacity) is designed and fabricated. To enhance specific energy, the designed cell exploits both bromine and chlorine as the cathode redox couples that are present as halozinc complexes in a newly developed molten hydrate electrolyte, which is distinctive to the conventional zinc–bromine batteries. Benefiting from the reversible uptake of halogens at the graphite cathode, exclusive reliance on earth‐abundant elements, and membrane‐free and possible flow‐through configuration, the proposed battery can potentially realize high‐performance massive electric energy storage at a reasonable cost.
Fast
and selective Li+ transport in solid
plays a key
role for the development of high-performance solid-state electrolytes
(SSEs) of lithium metal batteries. Porous compounds with tunable Li+ transport pathways are promising SSEs, but the comprehensive
performances in terms of Li+ transport kinetics, electrochemical
stability window, and interfacial compatibility are difficult to be
achieved simultaneously. Herein, we report a porous coordination chain-based
hydrogen-bonded framework (NKU-1000) containing arrayed electronegative
sites for Li+ transport, exhibiting a superior Li+ conductivity of 1.13 × 10–3 S cm–1, a high Li+ transfer number of 0.87, and a wide electrochemical
window of 5.0 V. The assembled solid-state battery with NKU-1000-based
SSE shows a high discharge capacity with 94.4% retention after 500
cycles and can work over a wide temperature range without formation
of lithium dendrites, which derives from the linear hopping sites
that promote a uniformly high-rate Li+ flux and the flexible
structure that can buffer the structural variation during Li+ transport.
Metal-complex-based materials for lithium storage have attracted great interest due to their highly designable structures with multiple active sites and well-defined lithium transport pathways. Their cycling and rate performances, however, are still constrained by structural stability and electrical conductivity. Herein, we present two hydrogen-bonded complex-based frameworks with excellent lithium storage capability. Multiple hydrogen bonds among the mononuclear molecules result in three-dimensional frameworks that are stable in electrolyte. The origin of the remarkable lithium storage performance of this family was revealed through kinetic analysis and DFT calculations.
Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries (RAZBs) are emerging candidates for large‐scale energy storage. However, the lack of high‐capacity cathodes because of the electrostatic interactions between Zn2+ and cathode and the inferior electronic conductivity restricts their performance. The operating voltage limitation imposed by water is another barrier for RAZBs. Herein, manganese oxide (MnO) nanocrystals embedded in a spindle carbon matrix (MnO@C) synthesized from a metal–organic framework are used as a cathode. The uniform distribution of fine‐sized MnO (≈100 nm) in the carbonized matrix (≈5 μm) and the intimate connection between them not only increase the utilization of electroactive material but also eliminate the use of conductive additive. By utilizing the molten hydrate electrolyte, ZnCl2·2.33H2O, a discharge voltage plateau approaching 1.60 V and a high reversible capacity of 106 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles are achieved. This research proposes an approach for affordable RAZBs to fulfill large‐scale energy storage.
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