Calendar Life of Zn Batteries Based on Zn Anode with Zn Powder/Current Collector Structure

Abstract

Zn foil is widely used for studying the stability and dendrite formation behavior of Zn anodes. The reported long cycling life of rechargeable Zn batteries (RZBs) is obtained by testing a battery immediately after its fabrication neglecting the aging effects. The cycling performance demonstrated cannot, however, have practical applications. Using Zn foil as both the working electrode and current collector will cause many problems when the battery is scaled up. A Zn powder (Zn‐P)/current collector configuration is more practical. In this work, the corrosion of the Zn‐P@Cu anode‐induced cell swelling is first quantitatively studied. During the aging process of the Zn‐P@Cu electrode, hydrogen forms on the surface of Cu and the Zn‐P dissolves resulting in morphological changes. These phenomena can be attributed to galvanic corrosion between Cu and Zn. To address this issue, tin with a higher overpotential for hydrogen generation is plated on Cu surface. The results indicate that hydrogen evolution is ameliorated. With a low NP ratio (mass) of 10:7, considerably better storage and cycling performance are achieved for Zn‐P@Cu//MnO2. These results highlight the need to focus on the calendar life of RZBs and corrosion of the Zn anode.

Sn Alloying to Inhibit Hydrogen Evolution of Zn Metal Anode in Rechargeable Aqueous Batteries

“…[12,15,16] However, Zn metal anodes are thermodynamically unstable in aqueous solution environments, and the Zn deposition process will continue to be affected by water competitive decomposition to form hydrogen due to the relatively low hydrogen-forming energy barrier. [17][18][19] Meantime, continuous hydrogen evolution causes local pH changes, resulting in the generation of loose and brittle Zn 4 SO 4 (OH) 6 •xH 2 O through the consumption of ZnSO 4 electrolyte and active Zn metal. [19] Furthermore, these rough sidereaction products increase the unevenness of the electrode surface.…”

Vacancy Modulating Co3Sn2S2 Topological Semimetal for Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries

“…Chemie to the stable crystal structure, [32,33] injected new electrochemical active sites, [34] and high conductivity. [35,36] To further gain insights into the charge-storage mechanism, the structure evolution of Co 3 Sn 1.8 S 2 on charging and discharging is monitored via in situ XRD,i nsitu Raman, ex situ XPS and HRTEM.…”

Zinc Anode for Mild Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries: Challenges, Strategies, and Perspectives

“…It can be understood that point-to-point contact between Zn powder particles may form a vulnerable conductive network. During the Zn stripping process, owing to the short electron pathway, the contact points are likely to be dissolved first, and the Zn powder particles will easily lose contact with the electrode matrix and cause Zn death [ 108 ]. However, the carbon fiber skeleton can act as a binder to firmly bond the Zn powder, which can effectively reduce the capacity loss caused by Zn dissolution (Fig.…”