Multifunctional interfacial engineering on the Zn anode to conquer dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and the sluggish kinetics associated with Zn deposition is highly desirable for boosting the commercialization of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. Herein, a spontaneous construction of carbonyl‐containing layer on a Zn anode (Zn@ZCO) is rationally designed as an ion redistributor and functional protective interphase. It has strong zincphilicity and dendrite suppression ability due to the significant interaction of the highly electronegative and highly nucleophilic carbonyl oxygen, favoring ion transport and homogenizing Zn deposition effectively. On the other side, the hydrogen bond formed by the proton acceptor of oxygen atom in ZCO regulates the Zn‐ion desolvation process at the interfaces, thus bounding water activity and then mitigating water‐induced parasitic reactions. Consequently, the Zn@ZCO anode exhibits an extended cycling lifespan of 5000 h (>208 days) with a dendrite‐free surface and negligible by‐products. More encouragingly, the effectiveness is also convincing in NH4V4O10‐based full‐cells with excellent rate performance and cyclic stability. The stabilized Zn anode enabled by the strategy of spontaneous construction of functional solid electrolyte interphase brings forward a facile and instructive approach toward high‐performance zinc‐storage systems.
Designing a multifunctional separator with abundant ion migration paths is crucial for tuning the ion transport in rocking‐chair‐type batteries. Herein, a polydopamine‐functionalized PVDF (PVDF@PDA) nanofibrous membrane is designed to serve as a separator for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs). The functional groups (OH and NH) in PDA facilitate the formation of ZnO and ZnN coordination bonds with Zn ions, homogenizing the Zn‐ion flux and thus enabling dendrite‐free Zn deposition. Moreover, the PVDF@PDA separator effectively inhibits the shuttling of V‐species through the formation of VO coordination bonds. As a result, the Zn/NH4V4O10 battery with the PVDF@PDA separator exhibits enhanced cycling stability (92.3% after 1000 cycles at 5 A g−1) and rate capability compared to that using a glass fiber separator. This work provides a new avenue to design functionalized separators for high‐performance AZIBs.
An electrolyte cation additive strategy provides a versatile route for developing high‐energy and long‐life aqueous zinc‐ion hybrid capacitors. However, the mechanisms of energy storage and Zn anode protection are still unclear in Zn‐based systems with dual‐ion electrolytes. Here, a dual charge storage mechanism for zinc‐ion hybrid capacitors with both cations and anions adsorption/desorption and the reversible formation of Zn4SO4(OH)6·xH2O enabled by the Mg2+ additive in the common aqueous ZnSO4 electrolyte are proposed. Theoretical calculations verify that the self‐healing electrostatic shield effect and the solvation‐sheath structure regulation rendered by the Mg2+ additive account for the observed uniform Zn deposition and dendrite suppression. As a result, an additional energy storage capacity of ≈50% compared to that in a pure 2 m ZnSO4 electrolyte and an extended cycle life with capacity retention of 98.7% after 10 000 cycles are achieved. This work highlights the effectiveness of electrolyte design for dual‐ion carrier storage mechanism in aqueous devices toward high energy density and long cycle life.
Many optimization strategies have been employed to stabilize zinc anodes of zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Although these commonly used strategies can improve anode performance, they simultaneously induce specific issues at the same time. In this study, through the combination of structural design, interface modification, and electrolyte optimization, an ‘all-in-one’ (AIO) electrode was developed. Compared to the three-dimensional (3D) anode in routine liquid electrolytes, the new AIO electrode can greatly suppress gas evolution and the occurrence of side reactions induced by active water molecules, while retaining the merits of a 3D anode. Moreover, the integrated AIO strategy achieves a sufficient electrode/electrolyte interface contact area, so that the electrode can promote electron/ion transfer, and ensure a fast and complete redox reaction. As a result, it achieves excellent shelving-restoring ability (60 h, four times) and 1200 cycles of long-term stability without apparent polarization. When paired with two common cathode materials used in ZIBs (α-MnO2 and NH4V4O10), full batteries with the AIO electrode demonstrate high capacity and good stability. The strategy of the ‘all-in-one’ architectural design is enlightened to solve the issues of zinc anodes in advanced Zn-based batteries.
Aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs) hold great potential in large‐scale energy storage systems due to the merits of low‐cost and high safety. However, the unstable structure of cathode materials and sluggish (de)intercalation kinetics of Zn2+ pose challenges for further development. Herein, highly reversible aqueous ZIBs are constructed with layered hydrated vanadium oxide as a cathode material. The electrochemical performances are further tested with the optimized electrolyte of 3M Zn(CF3SO3)2 and a cut‐off voltage of 0.4 to 1.3 V, exhibiting a remarkable capacity of 290 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and long‐term cycling stability at high current density. Furthermore, the Zn2+ storage mechanism of V3O7⋅H2O is recognized as a highly reversible (de)intercalation process with good structural stability, implying the potential application in the field of large‐scale energy storage.
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