Engineering Interlayer Space of Vanadium Oxide by Pyridinesulfonic Acid-Assisted Intercalation of Polypyrrole Enables Enhanced Aqueous Zinc-Ion Storage

Abstract

By adjusting the structure of vanadium oxides, their electrochemical performances as cathode materials for aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ARZIBs) can be improved effectively. Due to the layered structure and high specific capacity of V2O5, many guests (like metal ions and conducting polymers) intercalated and regulated the structure to enhance its electrochemical properties. Polypyrrole (PPy) has attracted people’s attention due to its good conductive ability. However, the intercalation of PPy into a lamellar structure of hydrated V2O5 (VOH) has rarely been achieved as a cathode material for ARZIBs. Herein, we developed a pyridinesulfonic acid (PSA)-assisted approach to intercalate PPy into the interplanar spacing of VOH under acidic conditions, and the sample is denoted as VOH-PPy (PSA). The presence of protic acid can improve the electrical conductivity of the polymer and enhance the oxidation of VOH, making the polymerization of pyrrole easier. Furthermore, the nitrogen-containing groups in PSA can interact with vanadium to further expand the layer space of VOH, and the sulfonic groups can facilitate the polymerization of pyrrole. The addition of the PSA results in an ultralarge interlayer spacing of 15.8 Å. VOH-PPy (PSA) delivers an excellent specific capacity of up to 422 mAh·g–1 at 0.1 A·g–1 and a stable cycle performance of 165 mAh·g–1 after 5000 cycles at 10 A·g–1. This work not only realizes PPy expanding the lamellar structure of VOH but also provides feasibility for improving the electrochemical properties of VOH as a cathode material for ARZIBs by intercalating conductive polymers.

Dual intercalation of inorganics–organics for synergistically tuning the layer spacing of V2O5·nH2O to boost Zn2+ storage for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

“…51 The peaks appearing at 1558 and 1463 cm −1 were attributed to the characteristic CvC quinoid and benzenoid stretching, while the peaks at 1302 and 1242 cm −1 were assigned to the C-N and CvN stretching vibrations. 52 Fig. 2c presents the Raman spectra of the four materials, further illustrating the structural changes of the composite materials.…”

Nanoarchitectonics for conductive polymers using solid and vapor phases

“…1). 12–16 Self-assembled molecules, such as micelles, assist generation of specific morphologies. 13 Porous materials, such as layered materials, metal–organic frameworks, and mesocrystals, act as the host templates providing a wide variety of morphologies and orientations.…”

“…13 Porous materials, such as layered materials, metal–organic frameworks, and mesocrystals, act as the host templates providing a wide variety of morphologies and orientations. 14–16 Morphologies of the templates are replicated in conductive polymers. The solid surface containing the redox-active sites is used for formation of the composites through the surface reaction and coating.…”

“…The solid surface containing the redox-active sites is used for formation of the composites through the surface reaction and coating. 17 For example, coating of conductive polymers on the transition-metal-oxide nanostructures, such as manganese and vanadium oxides, is studied to improve the electrochemical properties for energy storage. 17 The crystal surface of specific materials, such as ice, affords to provide the orientation and crystallinity enabling the enhanced performances, such as conductivity.…”

Synthesis of Zn2+-Pre-Intercalated V2O5·nH2O/rGO Composite with Boosted Electrochemical Properties for Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries

“…Researchers are engaged in exploring various high-efficiency, green energy storage and conversion devices [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Among various energy storage systems, aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted increasing interest in recent years as an alternative for grid-scale energy storage systems because of their low-cost, eco-friendliness and safety [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. For AZIBs, metal zinc is typically used as the anode due to its high theoretical capacity of 820 mAh·g −1 and abundance.…”