A Semi‐solid Zinc Powder‐based Slurry Anode for Advanced Aqueous Zinc‐ion Batteries

Abstract

The booming of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) draws the researchers' attention to issues of zinc metal anodes, such as uncontrollable dendrite growth, corrosion, and volume effects. Zinc powder anode is more suitable for the industrial application of AZIBs than the widely used zinc foil anode due to its low cost, tunability and processability. However, the related solutions are rarely studied because the above issues of zinc metal anode are more serious in zinc powder anode. Herein, for the first time, we design a semi-solid zinc slurry anode consisting of zinc powder and zincophilic tin additive dispersed in a conductive elastic rheological network. Zinc can be deposited homogeneously on the dispersed tin particles, which avoids agglomerative zinc deposition and alleviates volume change during repeated zinc stripping/plating. Moreover, the practical application of the full cell with slurry is very promising since its operating life can be easily extended by facile slurry renewal.

The pitfalls of using stainless steel (SS) coin cells in aqueous zinc battery research

“…The electrochemical behaviors including cycle life and evolution of overpotential, and the cell failure mode are consistent with previous reports. 21–23 Prior to cell disassembly, we noticed severe cell bulging and the loss of physical contact between the cone spring and the spacer. The thickness of the post-cycle coin cell expanded from 3.12 mm in the pristine state to 3.50 mm (Fig.…”

Challenges, Strategies, and Perspectives of Anode Protection in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

“…This approach effectively prevented the aggregation of zinc deposits and inhibited the growth of zinc dendrites (Figure 6d-f). 24 Moreover, the conductive elastic network successfully mitigated the volume change during zinc stripping/plating, thus extending the battery's lifespan. Furthermore, the researchers developed a simple and easy-to-use slurry replacement method that allows for the maintenance of a fully functional battery.…”

“…20−23 Although several methods have been developed to address the issue of dendrite formation and dead zinc in zinc foil anodes, their industrial viability is not yet fully established (Figure 5a). 24 Hence, the exploration of alternative zinc anode materials is of paramount importance. Granular zinc powder has garnered significant attention due to its advantages of low raw material cost, ease of large-scale processing, and adjustability.…”

“…Zinc foil is commonly used as a zinc anode material. However, its pure flat structure leads to the spontaneous growth of zinc dendrite on its surface, which poses a challenge to its practical application in zinc-based battery systems. − Although several methods have been developed to address the issue of dendrite formation and dead zinc in zinc foil anodes, their industrial viability is not yet fully established (Figure a) . Hence, the exploration of alternative zinc anode materials is of paramount importance.…”

“…f) Illustration of full cells using a solid cathode and semisolid slurry anode. Reprinted with permission from ref . Copyright 2022, John Wiley and Sons Publishing.…”