3D Porous Copper Skeleton Supported Zinc Anode toward High Capacity and Long Cycle Life Zinc Ion Batteries

Abstract

Zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted extensive attention in recent years, benefiting from their high safety, eco-friendliness, low cost, and high energy density. Although many cathode materials for ZIBs have been developed, the poor stability of zinc anodes caused by uneven deposition/stripping of zinc has inevitably limited the practical application of ZIBs. Herein, we report a highly stable 3D Zn anode prepared by electrodepositing Zn on a chemically etched porous copper skeleton. The inherent excellent electrical conductivity and open structure of the 3D porous copper skeleton ensure the uniform deposition/stripping of Zn. The 3D Zn anode exhibits reduced polarization, stable cycling performance, and almost 100% Coulombic efficiency as well as fast electrochemical kinetics during repeated Zn deposition/stripping processes for 350 h. Furthermore, full cells with a 3D Zn anode, ultrathin MnO 2 nanosheet cathode, and Zn 2+ -containing aqueous electrolyte delivered a record-high capacity of 364 mAh g −1 at a current density of 0.1 A g −1 and good cycling stability with a retained capacity of 173 mAh g −1 after 300 charge/discharge cycles at 0.4 A g −1 . This work provides a pathway for developing high-performance ZIBs.

Electrochemically Derived Graphene‐Like Carbon Film as a Superb Substrate for High‐Performance Aqueous Zn‐Ion Batteries

“…SEM images (Figure b,c) also revealed the fine morphology of Zn coating on the surface of graphene sheets. Comparing with the traditional Zn foil (Figure S5, Supporting Information), the 3D architecture of the Zn/GCF delivered a higher surface area and more conductive network, which guarantee the long‐cycle stability of the Zn‐ion batteries . For comparison, the plating/stripping performance of the Zn/GCF and Zn based symmetric cells was further investigated in Figure d–f.…”

The Three‐Dimensional Dendrite‐Free Zinc Anode on a Copper Mesh with a Zinc‐Oriented Polyacrylamide Electrolyte Additive

“…[3] Similar to lithium metal, zinc metal is ah ostless anode with infinite relative volume change during repeating cycling and the structure may be destroyed at the stripping process. [5] Thef ormation of dendrites is another urgent issue that needs to be solved for the zinc anode,w hich may result in inferior cycle stability and low Coulombic efficiency. [4] Plating zinc on asubstrate in advance is believed to be af easible solution to solve this problem.…”

“…[4] Plating zinc on asubstrate in advance is believed to be af easible solution to solve this problem. [5] Thef ormation of dendrites is another urgent issue that needs to be solved for the zinc anode,w hich may result in inferior cycle stability and low Coulombic efficiency. [6] Many approaches have been proposed to improve the charge-discharge performance of these metal anodes,f or example,c onstructing at hree-dimensional structure to restrict the growth of dendrites and introducing additives in the electrolyte to induce the uniform deposition.…”

Dendrites issues and advances in Zn anode for aqueous rechargeable Zn‐based batteries

“…Based on this theory, various 3D current collectors were developed to buffer the dendrite growth for Li metal anode counterpart, 46,47 including 3D Cu foam, 48 3D Zn/Carbon Nanotube(CNT) framework, 49,50 and Cu mesh 51 . Achievements in prolonging the lifespan were obvious, a good case in point is that the designed 3D Zn@CNTs (Figure 3E) reported by Lu et.al presented homogenous precipitation of Zn and showed a much‐prolonged lifespan in a symmetric cell with more than 200 hours stable stripping and platting (Figure 3F).…”

“…This results from the bulky CF 3 SO 3 − anions that will alleviate the solvated sheath around Zn 2+ and further facilitate the Zn 2+ movement 58 . ZnSO 4 is the most promising salt for cost‐saving and environmental benefit even the Zn(CF 3 SO 3 ) 2 owns a better electrochemical performance 48 …”