A Nature‐Inspired Separator with Water‐Confined and Kinetics‐Boosted Effects for Sustainable and High‐Utilization Zn Metal Batteries

Abstract

Uncontrollable dendrite growth and sluggish ion‐transport kinetics are considered as the main obstacles for the further development of high‐performance aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs). Here, a nature‐inspired separator (ZnHAP/BC) is developed to tackle these issues via the hybridization of the biomass‐derived bacterial cellulose (BC) network and nano‐hydroxyapatite particles (HAP). The as‐prepared ZnHAP/BC separator not only regulates the desolvation process of the hydrated Zn2+ ions (Zn(H2O)62+) by suppressing the water reactivity through the surface functional groups, alleviating the water‐induced side‐reactions, but also boosts the ion‐transport kinetics and homogenize the Zn2+ flux, resulting in a fast and uniform Zn deposition. Remarkably, the Zn|Zn symmetric cell with ZnHAP/BC separator harvests a long‐term stability over 1600 h at 1 mA cm−2, 1 mAh cm−2 and endures stable cycling over 1025 and 611 h even at a high depth of discharge (DOD) of 50% and 80%, respectively. The Zn|V2O5 full cell with a low negative/positive (N/P) capacity ratio of 2.7 achieves a superior capacity retention of 82% after 2500 cycles at 10 A g−1. Furthermore, the Zn/HAP separator can be totally degraded within 2 weeks. This work develops a novel nature‐derived separator and provides insights in constructing functional separators toward sustainable and advanced AZIBs.

Nanomicellar Electrolyte To Control Release Ions and Reconstruct Hydrogen Bonding Network for Ultrastable High-Energy-Density Zn–Mn Battery

“…The desolvation activation energies (E a ) of Zn 2+ species in different electrolyte environments were calculated according to EIS data of Zn∥Zn symmetric cells (Figure S13). Based on the Arrhenius equation, 40 the activation energies were calculated, summarized in Figure 4c. The [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ species constitute a high energy barrier for a solvated Zn 2+ to desolvate and deposit, thus requiring the highest E a value of 41.4 kJ mol −1 .…”

Investigation of the Solar Hydrogen Sensitivity of GeSe Thin Film Photoelectrode with Photoelectrochemical Environment

“…Therefore, rising temperature strongly affects the phenomenon that occurs at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. Below 30 °C, the change-transfer resistance was expected to follow the Arrhenius equation 1 R 2 = A − E a k B T where A is a proportionality constant, E a is the activation energy, k B is the Boltzmann constant, and T is the temperature. Since the catalyst does not change, the temperature is inversely proportional to the transfer resistance, which is taken for the resistance of electrons through the electrode/electrolyte interface.…”

A Functional Janus Ag Nanowires/Bacterial Cellulose Separator for High‐Performance Dendrite‐Free Zinc Anode Under Harsh Conditions

“…Cellulose, particularly bacterial cellulose (BC) with a highpurity cellulose content (84-89%), shows promise in resolving the issues outlined above. [25,[28][29][30] The hydroxyl groups of the fibrillated cellulose provide adequate aqueous electrolyte uptake and good wettability while strengthening cellulose's mechanical properties through van der Waals interactions and intramolecular hydrogen bonds within the fibrils. BC separators are easily prepared through industrial methods.…”