Fast‐Charging and Ultrahigh‐Capacity Zinc Metal Anode for High‐Performance Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

Although some strategies have been triggered to address the intrinsic drawbacks of zinc (Zn) anodes in aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs), the larger issue of Zn anodes unable to cycle at a high current density with large areal capacity is neglected. Herein, the zinc phosphorus solid solution alloy (ZnP) coated on Zn foil (Zn@ZnP) prepared via a high‐efficiency electrodeposition method as a novel strategy is proposed. The phosphorus (P) atoms in the coating layer are beneficial to fast ion transfer and reducing the electrochemical activation energy during Zn stripping/plating processes. Besides, a lower energy barrier of Zn2+ transferring into the coating can be attained due to the additional P. The results show that the as‐prepared Zn@ZnP anode in the symmetric cell can be cycled at a current density of 15 mA cm−2 with an areal capacity of 48 mAh cm−2 (depth of discharge, DOD ≈ 82%) and even at an ultrahigh current density of 20 mA cm−2 and DOD ≈ 51%. Importantly, a discharge capacity of 154.4 mAh g−1 in the Zn/MnO2 full cell can be attained after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1. The remarkable effect achieved by the developed strategy confirms its prospect in the large‐scale application of ZIBs for high‐power devices.

Interfacial Manipulation via In Situ Grown ZnSe Cultivator toward Highly Reversible Zn Metal Anodes

“…High depth of discharge (DOD; >40%) is indispensable for practical applications. [ 24,40 ] As aforementioned, the thickness of as‐prepared ZnSe@Zn electrode is ≈90 µm, corresponding to an areal capacity of 52.70 mAh cm −2 . Accordingly, ZnSe@Zn based symmetric cell could sustain a steady cycle under 20.0 mA cm −2 /25.0 mAh cm −2 over 73 h (Figure S16, Supporting Information).…”

“…[ 16 ] Moreover, a dual‐functional In layer concurrently acted as a corrosion inhibitor and a nucleation support to enable dendrite‐free Zn anode. [ 19 ] In parallel, the non‐conductive shields, including polyamide, [ 22 ] TiO 2 , [ 23 ] ZnP, [ 24 ] CaCO 3 , [ 25 ] ZnO, [ 26 ] ZrO 2 , [ 27 ] ZnS, [ 28 ] and kaolin, [ 29 ] would deactivate the dendritic formation via decreasing the nucleation energy barrier and inhibit hydrogen evolution by protecting the active Zn from the direct attack of the bulk electrolyte. In this respect, Zhao et al designed a polyamide layer to harmonize Zn 2+ migration with uniform nucleation and block dissolved O 2 and free water, in turn forming a uniform and dense Zn deposition.…”

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

“…4f). In addition, the S, O, and P atoms in ZnS, ZnO, and ZnP layers, respectively, also have strong adsorption to Zn 2+ ions, which have been proven to contribute to the concentration field redistribution effect [68][69][70].…”

“…Zn can be fused with various elements to form Zn-based alloys, classified into binary alloys, ternary alloys, and multi-element alloys according to the number of their components. In addition to Ga–In–Zn [ 116 , 117 ] and Zn–Sn–Pb [ 118 ] alloys, the Zn alloys currently reported on mild aqueous Zn anodes are mainly binary alloys, such as Cu–Zn [ 89 , 119 , 120 ], Ag–Zn [ 89 , 121 – 123 ], Zn–Al [ 124 ], Zn–Mn [ 125 ], Zn–Sb [ 115 ], and Zn-P [ 69 ]. The interaction between alloy components will form an alloy phase with a specific structure and composition, which can be divided into solid solution and intermetallic compound [ 126 ].…”

Ca-ion modified vanadium oxide nanoribbons with enhanced Zn-ion storage capability

“…Among these batteries, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have been one of the most potential ESSs owing to the advantages of abundant reserves, comparatively low redox potential (À0.76 V vs. SHE), high theoretical capacity (820 mA h g À1 ) of the Zn anode, low toxicity, and higher ionic conductivities ($1 S cm À1 ) of the aqueous electrolytes compared to organic electrolytes ($1-10 mS cm À1 ). [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] For ZIBs, the anode electrode materials are mostly metallic zinc, while the cathode electrode materials are mainly manganese-based materials, vanadiumbased materials, and Prussian blue analogs. Compared with the high capacity of the zinc anode, that of the currently reported zinc ion battery cathodes is relatively low (150-300 mA h g À1 ), resulting in the low energy density of aqueous ZIBs.…”