No abstract

In recent years, Prussian blue analogue (PBA) materials have been widely explored and investigated in energy storage/conversion fields. Herein, the structure/property correlations of PBA materials as host frameworks for various charge‐carrier ions (e.g., Na+, K+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Al3+) is reviewed, and the optimization strategies to achieve advanced performance of PBA electrodes are highlighted. Prospects for further applications of PBA materials in proton, ammonium‐ion, and multivalent‐ion batteries are summarized, with extra attention given to the selection of anode materials and electrolytes for practical implementation. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of PBA materials, and will serve as a guidance for future research and development of PBA electrodes.

Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries (AZBs) are widely considered as a promising candidate for next‐generation energy storage owing to their excellent safety features. However, the application of a Zn anode is hindered by severe dendrite formation and side reactions. Herein, an interfacial bridged organic–inorganic hybrid protection layer (Nafion‐Zn‐X) is developed by complexing inorganic Zn‐X zeolite nanoparticles with Nafion, which shifts ion transport from channel transport in Nafion to a hopping mechanism in the organic–inorganic interface. This unique organic–inorganic structure is found to effectively suppress dendrite growth and side reactions of the Zn anode. Consequently, the Zn@Nafion‐Zn‐X composite anode delivers high coulombic efficiency (ca. 97 %), deep Zn plating/stripping (10 mAh cm−2), and long cycle life (over 10 000 cycles). By tackling the intrinsic chemical/electrochemical issues, the proposed strategy provides a versatile remedy for the limited cycle life of the Zn anode.

No abstract

The formation of dendrites on a zinc (Zn) metal anode has limited its practical applications on aqueous batteries. Herein, an artificial composite protective layer consisting of nanosized metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to improve the poor wetting effect of aqueous electrolytes on the Zn anode is proposed to reconstruct the Zn/electrolyte interface. In this layer, hydrophilic MOF nanoparticles serve as interconnecting electrolyte reservoirs enabling nanolevel wetting effect as well as regulating an electrolyte flux on Zn anode. This zincophilic interface exhibits significantly reduced charge-transfer resistance. As a result, stable and dendrite-free Zn plating/stripping cycling performance is achieved for over 500 cycles. In addition, especially at higher C-rates, the coating layer significantly reduces the overpotentials in a Zn/MnO2 aqueous battery during cycling. The proposed principle and method in this work demonstrate an effective way to reconstruct a stable interface on metal anodes (e.g., Zn) where a conventional solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) cannot be formed.