Aqueous hybrid Zn-based batteries (ZIBs), as a highly promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid application, have made considerable progress recently. However, few studies have been reported that investigate their working mechanism in detail. Here, the operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction is employed to thoroughly investigate the operational mechanism of a hybrid LiFePO 4 (LFP)/Zn battery, which indicates only Li + extraction/insertion from/ into cathode during cycling. Based on this system, a cheap electrolyte additive, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, is proposed to effectively enhance its electrochemical properties. The influence of the additive on the Zn anode and LFP cathode is comprehensively studied, respectively. The results show that the additive modifies the intrinsic deposit pattern of Zn 2+ ions, rendering Zn plating/stripping highly reversible in an aqueous medium. On the other hand, the wettability of the LFP electrode is visibly a meliorated by introducing the surfactant additive, accelerating the Li-ion diffusion at the LFP electrode/ electrolyte interface, as indicated by the overpotential measurements. Benefiting from these effects, the Zn/LFP batteries deliver high rate capability and cycling stability in both coin cells and pouch cells.

Aqueous ZIBs are one of the most promising nextgeneration rechargeable batteries because of the high capacity, high hydrogen evolution overpotential, and chemically stable reversible plating/stripping of the zinc electrode in the mild aqueous electrolyte. However, there are limited cathode materials that can store Zn 2+ reversibly with superior cycling and rate capability. Herein, hierarchically porous nanorods composed of twinborn α-(Mn 2 O 3 −MnO 2 ) heterostructures are proposed as a robust cathode for Zn storage. Thanks to the hierarchically porous nanorod morphology and the abundant interface of the heterostructures involving a built-in electric field, the as-obtained twinborn α-(Mn 2 O 3 −MnO 2 ) electrode delivers a high capacity of 170 mA h g −1 for 2000 cycles at 500 mA g −1 and shows an excellent rate capability of up to 1.5 A g −1 with a capacity of 124 mA h g −1 . The inspiring results achieved exhibit the enormous potential of the highperformance heterostructure cathode for fast and stable ZIBs.

No abstract

No abstract

Hydrocalumites are successfully prepared by using Ca(OH)2, Al(OH)3 and Na2CO3 with different reaction times and crystallization times.