Tuning Zn2+ coordination environment to suppress dendrite formation for high-performance Zn-ion batteries

Dendrite suppression by anode polishing in zinc-ion batteries

“…We have demonstrated that a very simple and easily industrially applicable anode foil polishing process can dramatically improve the lifetime of ZIBs, far exceeding improvements made using complex chemical and physical processes. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The electrodes tested showed greatly improved electrochemical plating/ stripping stability, when compared to an as-received Zn foil. Ex situ OM and in situ EC-AFM experiments demonstrated that polished Zn foils with a attened initial surface induced a uniformly plated/stripped Zn structure, lowering the occurrence of dendrites and short-circuit failure in batteries.…”

“…10 In particular, it has been reported that the electrolyte composition and the current density at the electrode are major inuencers of dendrite morphology, 11 which can vary from a 1D ramied cone-like topology, to 2D hexagonal platelets and dense 3D structures. 12 Common strategies to achieve uniform Zn deposition include (1) introducing a protection layer on the electrode surface to help homogeneously distribute ions and the electric eld; 13,14 (2) optimizing the material and structure of the Zncontaining electrode, promoting charge transfer; 15,16 (3) modifying the electrolyte, improving interfacial ion migration; [17][18][19] and (4) designing multifunctional separators. 20 Example solutions using these strategies include (1) interfacial protection of the Zn anode by in situ growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) layers; 14 (2) design of Zn/carbon nanotube (Zn/CNT) foams 15 or eutectic Zn 88 Al 12 (at%) alloys; 16 (3) electrolyte modifying additives 17,18 or use of high concentration electrolytes; 19 and (4) graphene decorated glass bre separators.…”

Non-concentrated aqueous electrolytes with organic solvent additives for stable zinc batteries

“…Besides, electrolyte modulation is considered as a facile approach to stabilize metal anode by regulating the interface chemistry. [31][32][33][34][35] Recently, highly concentrated electrolyte (e.g., 1 m Zn(TFSI) 2 + 20 m LiTFSI (m: mol kg -1 ) 36 ) and deep eutectic electrolyte (e.g., ~4.2 m Zn(TFSI) 2 in nonaqueous acetamide 37 ) were proposed to form an anion-derived solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on Zn anode. This SEI allows rapid Zn 2+ diffusion while blocks solvents and electrons, thus suppressing water-induced side reactions.…”

Uniform Zn Deposition Achieved by Conductive Carbon Additive for Zn Anode in Zinc‐Ion Hybrid Supercapacitors

“…In addition, Figure 4c shows a magnified part of the GCD curve, C@Zn cells have extremely low polarization (47 mV), which is much lower than that of Zn cells (246.7 mV), and the different voltage hysteresis between the two anodes proves that C@Zn has a lower zinc nucleation barrier than zinc foil. [ 61,62 ] Under high current densities of 1 mA cm −2 (Figure 4d) and 5 mA cm −2 (Figure S4, Supporting Information), the Zn−Zn battery does not maintain a stable cycle and quickly breaks down because of a short circuit. In sharp contrast, C@Zn−C@Zn batteries are charged and discharged stably for up to 220 h, and the voltage hysteresis remains almost unchanged (Figure 4e).…”