High reversibility at high current density: the zinc electrodeposition principle behind the “trick”

Abstract

Electric systems typically exhibit an efficiency decline as current density increases due to mass-transport limitation, but high reversibility of zinc plating/stripping and its in-planar morphology and texture have been observed...

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

“…1–4 Moreover, the utilization of a Zn metal electrode in battery production offers a simpler and more efficient technique with lower complexity. 5 Over the past few decades, researchers have focused on enhancing the rechargeability of Zn batteries, 6,7 aiming to control Zn morphological changes and suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) through advanced electrolyte formulations ( e.g. additives, 8–10 solvents, 11 and zinc salts 12 ), protective coating engineering, 13–15 and substrate design.…”

Solvation structure regulation of an organic small molecule additive for dendrite-free aqueous zinc-ion batteries

“…[10][11][12] Meanwhile, loose Zn particles with irregular morphology lead to the loss of electrical contact between the deposited Zn and the substrate, further deteriorating the reversibility of the Zn anode. 13 To make matters worse, irregularly shaped zinc dendrite particles tend to puncture the separator, resulting in a short circuit in the battery. [14][15][16] To alleviate the above problems, researchers have proposed strategies such as constructing articial interfacial layers, 17 modifying collectors, 18 optimizing the internal structure of the zinc anode, 19 modifying the separator, 20 and increasing the salt concentration 21 to protect the Zn anode from the deleterious reactions associated with aqueous electrolyte.…”

Lithium Bis(oxalate)borate Additive for Self‐repairing Zincophilic Solid Electrolyte Interphases towards Ultrahigh‐rate and Ultra‐stable Zinc Anodes

“…Nevertheless, the direct piercing issue posed by Zn dendrites is still not solved, threatening their long‐term effectiveness during repeated charge/discharge courses. More importantly, currently, the SEI‐mediated stabilization of Zn anode, no matter physically‐coated or electrolyte‐derived ones, is generally realized at mild test conditions (current density ≤20 mA cm −2 or areal capacity ≤10 mAh cm −2 ) that are insufficient for practical deployment of AZIBs [1b–c,13] . This is because higher current density or larger areal capacity puts forward more stringent requirements to the stability and integrity of SEI.…”