Molecular brush: an ion-redistributor to homogenize fast Zn²⁺flux and deposition for calendar-life Zn batteries

Abstract

Aqueous Zn metal batteries hold promising prospect for stationary energy storage technology, but the annoying dendrite growth with low cycling efficiency of Zn metal anodes caused by the unstable Zn-electrolyte...

Engineering a Ni–Al Brucite-Based Interface Layer with Regulated Zn2+ Flux for Highly Reversible Zn Metal Anodes

“…Figure g and Table S1 present a comparison of this work with recently reported Zn anodes with different artificial interface protective layers in terms of three crucial parameters (i.e., current density and areal capacity, hysteresis potential, and lifespan). ,,,− This work delivers a remarkable cumulative capacity of over 1400 mA h cm –2 with a low hysteresis potential (25 mV). Impressively, the NA-2@Zn//NA-2@Zn cell achieves steadily increasing overpotentials with the increase in the current density (varying from 0.5 to 5 mA cm –2 ) and retains a stable overpotential when it returned to 0.5 mA cm –2 , exhibiting excellent interface stability of NA-2@Zn.…”

In Situ Growth of an Ultrathin Polymer Brush Layer Enables a Reversible Zinc Anode

“…The surface wettability between the Zn anode and electrolyte plays a crucial role in Zn deposition kinetics, affecting the electrolyte penetration and Zn 2+ distribution. 38 The static contact angle between the electrolyte and anode is illustrated in Figure 4e. The contact angle of PSBMA-1@Zn was 60.3°, which is lower than that of pure Zn (79.3°).…”

Opportunities and challenges of zinc anodes in rechargeable aqueous batteries

“…A robust and lightweight poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt) (PSPMA) molecular brush-grafted interface is constructed via a facile photo-initiated surface radical polymerization strategy for high-efficiency and dendrite-free Zn metal anodes. 83 The interface affords dense sulfo-terminated nanochannels as a powerful ion-redistributor to navigate fast and homogeneous Zn 2+ flux and deposition with boosted transference number and reduced desolvation barrier energy of hydrated Zn 2+ . As a consequence, the as-designed PSPMA@Zn anode delivers high coulombic efficiency of up to 99.9% for 900 cycles and ultralong Zn plating/stripping lifetime over 2500 h under a high current density of 10 mA cm −2 (electrolyte: 2 M ZnSO 4 ).…”