Wiring zinc in three dimensions re-writes battery performance—dendrite-free cycling

Parker, Joseph F.; Chervin, Christopher N.; Nelson, Eric S.; Rolison, Debra R.; Long, Jeffrey W.

doi:10.1039/c3ee43754j

Cited by 364 publications

(371 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The high utilization of the hyper-dendritic nanoporous zinc foam showed great rate capability and was comparable to results of conventional zinc anodes in a sponge form-factor. 13,33 Conventional zinc anodes usually consist of active material, additives to suppress hydrogen and control the morphological uniformity of zinc deposition, and polymeric binders to keep zinc particles intact. 1,23,27,34 In this work, the zinc foam was prepared, in situ, by reducing zincate ions on a current collector with no other necessary compounds.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hyper-dendritic nanoporous zinc foam anodes

et al. 2015

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The low cost, significant reduction potential and relative safety of the zinc electrode is a common hope for a reductant in secondary batteries, but it is limited mainly to primary implementation due to shape change. In this work, we exploit such shape change for the benefit of static electrodes through the electrodeposition of hyper-dendritic nanoporous zinc foam. Electrodeposition of zinc foam resulted in nanoparticles formed on secondary dendrites in a three-dimensional network with a particle size distribution of 54.1-96.0 nm. The nanoporous zinc foam contributed to highly oriented crystals, high surface area and more rapid kinetics in contrast to conventional zinc in alkaline mediums. The anode material presented had a utilization of 88% at full depth-of-discharge (DOD) at various rates indicating a superb rate capability. The rechargeability of Zn 0 /Zn 2+ showed significant capacity retention over 100 cycles at a 40% DOD to ensure that the dendritic core structure was imperforated. The dendritic architecture was densified upon charge-discharge cycling and presented superior performance compared with bulk zinc electrodes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent work has indicated that zinc structures with submicron features can undergo 50 charge-discharge cycles without failure. 13 Here, we describe a simple mechanism for making such structures, with the option to alter the surface kinetics as a function of process regime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hyper-dendritic nanoporous zinc foam anodes

et al. 2015

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“…z E-mail: steingart@princeton.edu Recently, several three-dimensional zinc foam structures have been suggested to provide cyclable zinc electrodes without the problems associated with dendrite growth and morphology changes. 5,12 In addition to providing high utilization under primary discharge, these electrode structures also allow for significant improvements in cyclability, albeit at the loss of volumetric energy density. Co-deposition of nano-zinc/graphene composites have also been demonstrated, with potentially useful applications in energy storage.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…5,12 In addition to providing high utilization under primary discharge, these electrode structures also allow for significant improvements in cyclability, albeit at the loss of volumetric energy density. Co-deposition of nano-zinc/graphene composites have also been demonstrated, with potentially useful applications in energy storage.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…1 As such, typical zinc utilization levels are limited to 60% or less. 4,5 Careful engineering and materials science can extend the cycle life of the electrode; however, the issues of morphology change and poor utilization still present major limitations for secondary batteries with a zinc electrode. 2,6 A range of battery designs have been proposed to address some of the morphology-related problems: flow-based designs, fuel cell-like designs, and novel electrode architectures.…”

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Utilization of Hyper-Dendritic Zinc during High Rate Discharge in Alkaline Electrolytes

Davies

Hsieh

Hultmark

et al. 2016

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Zinc is a low cost and abundant material, and its strong reducing potential combined with stability in aqueous solutions give it high energy density and safety. It is, therefore, known to be an excellent choice of anode for a wide range of battery designs. However, this material presents some challenges for use in a secondary battery, including morphology changes and dendrite growth during charge (Zn deposition), and low utilization during discharge (Zn dissolution). Low utilization is related to a combination of corrosion and passivation effects. In this paper, we demonstrate a hyper-dendritic (HD) zinc morphology that has a high surface area and allows for rapid discharge in a completely freestanding system with no binders or conductive additives, while still maintaining significantly higher utilization than typical zinc morphologies. At rates of 2.5 A/g, the HD zinc has a utilization level approximately 50% higher than typical zinc granules or dust. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, through tuning of the electrolyte with specific additives, we are able to further increase the utilization of the material at high rate discharge by up to 30%. Zinc possesses many characteristics that are favorable for large scale energy storage: high volumetric energy density, low cost, low toxicity, global abundance, and chemical compatibility with aqueous electrolytes.1 As an example of a zinc battery application, silver-zinc batteries have been successfully used as primary and secondary cells in a range of demanding applications, including those requiring large scale, high power and high energy density. These include critical military and space applications.However, zinc electrodes present some significant challenges, and anode failure is a key factor in the reduced cycle life of these batteries. 2These challenges include morphology changes and dendrite growth during deposition, 3 which can lead to problems such as the short circuit of a cell, and poor utilization efficiencies during dissolution, arising mainly from corrosion and passivation effects.1 As such, typical zinc utilization levels are limited to 60% or less. 4,5 Careful engineering and materials science can extend the cycle life of the electrode; however, the issues of morphology change and poor utilization still present major limitations for secondary batteries with a zinc electrode. 2,6 A range of battery designs have been proposed to address some of the morphology-related problems: flow-based designs, fuel cell-like designs, and novel electrode architectures.In flow-based systems, redox flow batteries based on chemistries such as ZnBr and ZnFe attempt to mitigate changes in electrode morphology during cycling by continuously reforming the cathode and anode. However, these systems can suffer from low energy density 7 due to the limited solubility of the dissolved redox species. Other battery designs proposed include semi-solid and flow-assisted designs where the active material is refreshed periodically.8 These flow based approaches suffer from a significant energ...

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