Electrolyte Tuned Robust Interface toward Fast‐Charging Zn–Air Battery with Atomic Mo Site Catalyst

Abstract

Stable operation of sustainable Zn–air batteries (ZABs) has attracted considerable attention, but it remains a huge challenge to achieve temperature‐adaptive and fast‐charging ZABs. The poor Zn|electrolyte interface and the sluggish charging kinetic are the major obstacles. Here, high‐performance ZABs are constructed by designing polarized zincophilic solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) with the unique solvation interaction of Zn2+ with ethylene glycol (EG), and atomic Mo site cathode catalyst. On the one hand, the modulation of the solvation structure of Zn2+ ions by partial substitution of H2O with EG inhibits Zn dendrite growth and parasitic reactions, leading to the improvement of the Zn|electrolyte interface. Moreover, the polarized terminal groups in SSE are strongly coordinated with Zn/H2O, which exerts a profound influence on Zn|electrolyte interface stability and low‐temperature properties. On the other hand, atomic Mo incorporated α‐Co(OH)2 mesoporous nanosheets decrease the overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction via strong electronic interaction. Consequently, the assembled aqueous ZABs exhibit ten‐time fast‐charging ability and remarkable cycling stability. Moreover, the assembled solid‐state ZABs show unprecedented stability (1400 cycles at 5 mA cm−2) and high energy efficiency at −40 °C.

Oxygen Reduction Kinetics of Fe–N–C Single Atom Catalysts Boosted by Pyridinic N Vacancy for Temperature-Adaptive Zn–Air Batteries

“…The challenges encountered by aqueous ZABs at low temperatures are discussed in Figure S26. By contrast, quasi-solid-state GPEs possess favorable antifreezing abilities and thermal stability owing to abundant polarized terminal groups and an ionic hydration effect, broadening the range of working temperatures of ZABs. , Here, a gel composed of polyacrylamide, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, and EG (PAM-CMC-EG), prepared by a chemical cross-linking method, shows a 3D porous structure (Figure a). The large pores serve as “electrolyte reservoirs” and “OH – -conduction channels”, contributing to the high ionic conductivity (94 and 74 mS cm –1 at 25 and −20 °C, respectively) of the PAM-CMC-EG GPE.…”

Insight on Atomically Dispersed Cu Catalysts for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

“…The strong interaction between metal and support can tune the electronic structure of the metal atoms, thus affecting the bonding strength of key intermediates on the surface of active sites. − For example, Shi et al . synthesized Cu SAs/GDY SACs with Cu–C bond (Figure a).…”

Superoxide Radical Capture Agent for a Stable and Efficient Li-CO2 Battery: Experimental and Density Functional Theory Studies

“…With the rapid advancement of electronic information technology and the widespread utilization of intelligent electronic devices, the demand for energy storage systems that offer safety, high energy density, and environmental adaptability is paramount. − Due to the high theoretical specific energy density (∼1876 Wh kg –1 ), rechargeable Li-CO 2 batteries have garnered increasing attention. Moreover, CO 2 is employed as the cathode active material of Li-CO 2 batteries, enabling the sequestration of CO 2 and energy release through electrochemical reactions.…”