Ultraconformal Horizontal Zinc Deposition toward Dendrite‐Free Anode

Abstract

Aqueous zinc (Zn)‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have been considered as the most promising candidate for large‐scale energy storage system. However, the severe and uncontrollable dendrite growth of Zn anodes hinders the practical application. Herein, an ultraconformal horizontal Zn deposition is achieved, which is profiting from the epitaxial interface (InGaZn6O9) formed via spontaneously alloying between liquid Ga–In alloy (EGaIn) and Zn. The exposed (0016) plane of InGaZn6O9 matches well with (002) plane of Zn, inducing horizontal and dense Zn deposition. The resultant anode endows with prolonged cycling stability, and the full battery paired with MnO2 exhibits a stable lifespan over 4400 cycles at 5 A g−1. Meanwhile, the self‐formed ultraconformal interface realizes 360° no dead angle protection of anode, which is promising in flexible electronics. And there is no obvious capacity recession of the pouch cell even after bending 180°, demonstrating impressive flexibility. More importantly, the interface can be simply fabricated over a large area, displaying the large‐scale viability. The tailored approach delivers a constructive guideline for dendrite‐free Zn anode, showing great potential in the industrial production.

Crystal Orientation Engineering of Perfectly Matched Heterogeneous Textured ZnSe for an Enhanced Interfacial Kinetic Zn Anode

“…The Zn atoms of (0002) Zn can have chemical bonding with the Se atoms in (111) ZnSe , which forms a complete, coherent interface (Figure d). This coherent interface and the total lattice match (100% match) are the highest coherent interface among the representative materials (Figure e) in previous literature. ,,− …”

“…(c and d) Alignment of (0002) Zn and (111) ZnSe . (e) Comparison of lattice matching degree of representative materials for lattice matching. ,,− …”

Atomic Manufacturing in Electrode Materials for High-Performance Batteries

“…By in situ creating an ultraconformal epitaxial interface known as InGaZn 6 O 9 , the horizontal and uniform Zn deposition has been realized. 77 The spontaneously formed alloy InGaZn 6 O 9 (0016) plane exhibits a low lattice mismatch with Zn (002) (Figure 4a), which promotes the preferred orientation of Zn grains along the (002) crystal plane and enables layer-by-layer growth of hexagonal Zn (Figure 4b). The assembled symmetrical battery exhibits an extended cycle life of over 600 h compared to that of the pure Zn anode (Figure 4c).…”

“…Precisely controlling the regular and planar deposition of metal atoms can fundamentally inhibit the formation of dendrites. By in situ creating an ultraconformal epitaxial interface known as InGaZn 6 O 9 , the horizontal and uniform Zn deposition has been realized . The spontaneously formed alloy InGaZn 6 O 9 (0016) plane exhibits a low lattice mismatch with Zn (002) (Figure a), which promotes the preferred orientation of Zn grains along the (002) crystal plane and enables layer-by-layer growth of hexagonal Zn (Figure b).…”

“…(c) Long-term cycling performance at 0.5 mA cm −2 and 0.5 mAh cm −2 . Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 2023 Wiley-VCH.…”