Electrodeposition of a dendrite‐free 3D Al anode for improving cycling of an aluminum–graphite battery

Abstract

Aluminum-metal batteries show great potential as next-generation energy storage due to their abundant resources and intrinsic safety. However, the crucial limitations of metallic Al anodes, such as dendrite and corrosion problems in conventional aluminum-metal batteries, remain challenging and elusive. Here, we report a novel electrodeposition strategy to prepare an optimized 3D Al anode on carbon cloth with an uniform deposition morphology, low local current density, and mitigatory volume change. The symmetrical cells with the 3D Al anode show superior stable cycling (>450 h) and low-voltage hysteresis (~170 mV) at 0.5 mA cm −2 . High reversibility (~99.7%) is achieved for the Al plating/stripping. The graphite | | Al-4/CC full batteries show a long lifespan of 800 cycles with 54 mAh g −1 capacity at a high current density of 1000 mA g −1 , benefiting from the high capacitive-controlled distribution. This study proposes a novel strategy to design 3D Al anodes for metallic-Al-based batteries by eliminating the problems of planar Al anodes and realizing the potential applications of aluminum-graphite batteries.

Recent advances and perspectives for Zn-based batteries: Zn anode and electrolyte

“…These ZABs with a half-open structure use oxygen directly from ambient air as a cathode reactant, which can exhibit high capacity and energy density. They have a high theoretical specific energy density (1,350 W•h•kg −1 ), about five times superior to that of LIBs, and markedly reduced cost [15]. However, the achievable battery lifetime is approximately 150 cycles under current practical conditions, and the round-trip energy efficiency is usually less than 60%, far from realistic commercialization requirements [16].…”

3D-structured bifunctional MXene paper electrodes for protection and activation of Al metal anodes

“…29 Therefore, a stereoscopic electrode design aimed at a greater active surface area and improved product anion transfer rate is key to developing high-performance AMAs. 30,31 However, many challenges in using AMAs, such as large volume change, unexpected dendritic metal growth, and severe morphological changes caused by the Lewis acidic ILE, persist, which signicantly deteriorates the electrochemical performances of Al-DIBs. [32][33][34][35][36] Particularly, the corrosive ILE seriously deforms the surface of AMA, resulting in non-uniform morphologies.…”

Investigation of commercial aluminum alloys as anode materials for alkaline aluminum–air batteries

“…4,5 Under this background, the exploitation of various battery technologies is in full swing worldwide. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Aqueous metal-air batteries are considered promising new energy devices, in which the oxygen in the air and metals such as Mg, Zn, Al, and Fe served as fuels. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Among them, metal Al stands out due to its merits of high abundance in the Earth's crust, low cost, and ultra-high theoretical specic capacity (2.9 Ah kg −1 ) and energy density (8100 W h kg −1 ).…”