Anti‐Corrosive and Zn‐Ion‐Regulating Composite Interlayer Enabling Long‐Life Zn Metal Anodes

Abstract

The Zn metal anode is considered one of the most promising anode choices for aqueous Zn-based batteries. Nevertheless, dendrites and intricate side reactions have hindered its usage. Herein, an elastic and anti-corrosive interlayer is introduced to address the problem. The idiosyncratic dielectric behavior of amorphous and nanostructured silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) is utilized to manipulate the ion kinetics, by uniformly dispersing its particles in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to fabricate an interlayer attached to Zn metal (PSN-Zn). PAN serves as an elastic constraint to inhibit drastic dendrite evolution and blocks H 2 O/O 2 corrosion, and Si 3 N 4 with a high dielectric constant can facilitate the ion kinetics and endow uniform Zn deposition. The electrochemical stability and deposition consistency of the Zn anodes are greatly improved, with an extended lifespan of over 800 h at 1 mA cm −2 . Even under draconian deep-discharging (DOD Zn = 60%) and high current density (10 mA cm −2 ), the PSN-Zn anode can still operate stably for over 250 h. The effect of the dielectric property is systematically discussed and verified by experiments and theoretical simulations. Moreover, full cells with vanadium-and manganesebased cathodes also deliver excellent performance, indicating the use of the multifunctional interlayer as an appealing approach for rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries.

In Situ Constructing Coordination Compounds Interphase to Stabilize Zn Metal Anode for High‐Performance Aqueous Zn–SeS2 Batteries

“…However, the large-scale application of AZMBs is still hindered by the unstable Zn anode and fast capacity fade, resulting from the uncontrollable dendrite growth and water-induced side reactions during repeated plating/stripping cycles. [5][6][7][8][9][10] To date, various strategies have been employed to solve above-mentioned challenges, such as artificial protective layer, 3D structural design, electrolyte engineering, and separators modification. [11,12] Among, modifying an artificial solid 1850 h (1.0 mA cm −2 , 1.0 mAh cm −2 ).…”

“…However, the large‐scale application of AZMBs is still hindered by the unstable Zn anode and fast capacity fade, resulting from the uncontrollable dendrite growth and water‐induced side reactions during repeated plating/stripping cycles. [ 5–10 ]…”

Nano‐scale BN interface for ultra‐stable and wide temperature range tolerable Zn anode

“…In contrast, the BN@Zn symmetrical cell worked stably for 1600 h under 5 mA cm −2 , almost 20 times longer than that of the pristine Zn electrode, revealing an extraordinary steady electroplating process under high current densities. Notably, our work delivered a high cumulative capacity (current density × cycle life) of 4000 mAh cm −2 (2.5 mAh cm −2 × 1600 h) based on an ultra‐thin BN interface in 100 nm, surpassing the performance of most previous interface modification strategies with a much thinner thickness based on the data summarized in Table S2 20,24–35 . It should also be noted that the ultra‐thin BN interface induced by magnetron sputtering technique delivered the boosted cycling stability than the spray coating method of BN based materials profiting from the precise thickness control 36 …”

“…Notably, our work delivered a high cumulative capacity (current density  cycle life) of 4000 mAh cm À2 (2.5 mAh cm À2  1600 h) based on an ultra-thin BN interface in 100 nm, surpassing the performance of most previous interface modification strategies with a much thinner thickness based on the data summarized in Table S2. 20,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] It should also be noted that the ultra-thin BN interface induced by magnetron sputtering technique delivered the boosted cycling stability than the spray coating method of BN based materials profiting from the precise thickness control. 36 The surface morphology of each electrode after 50 cycles was observed by SEM.…”

Assembling metal‐polyphenol coordination interfaces for longstanding zinc metal anodes

“…Progress in solving the problems mentioned above has been achieved over recent years through various design strategies of electrolyte optimization, structural reorganization, and surface/interface engineering. [7][8][9][10] In particular, constructing an artificial interface layer using organic polymers, inorganic compounds, and organicinorganic composites, [11][12][13][14] has been intensively investigated as an effective method. The modified layer can serve as a physical barrier to obstruct unnecessary reactions between electrolyte and Zn anode, and regulate uniform Zn 2+ plating to inhibit dendrite formation.…”