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Vol. 15 (2023)

Trace Amounts of Triple-Functional Additives Enable Reversible Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries from a Comprehensive Perspective

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01050-4
Ruwei Chen
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Wei Zhang
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Quanbo Huang
State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, People’s Republic of China
Chaohong Guan
University of Michigan‑Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China
Wei Zong
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Yuhang Dai
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Zijuan Du
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Zhenyu Zhang
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Jianwei Li
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Fei Guo
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Xuan Gao
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Haobo Dong
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Jiexin Zhu
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
Xiaohui Wang
State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, People’s Republic of China
Guanjie He
Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK

Corresponding Author: Xiaohui Wang

fewangxh@scut.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 15 (2023), Article Number: 81

Abstract

Although their cost-effectiveness and intrinsic safety, aqueous zinc-ion batteries suffer from notorious side reactions including hydrogen evolution reaction, Zn corrosion and passivation, and Zn dendrite formation on the anode. Despite numerous strategies to alleviate these side reactions have been demonstrated, they can only provide limited performance improvement from a single aspect. Herein, a triple-functional additive with trace amounts, ammonium hydroxide, was demonstrated to comprehensively protect zinc anodes. The results show that the shift of electrolyte pH from 4.1 to 5.2 lowers the HER potential and encourages the in situ formation of a uniform ZHS-based solid electrolyte interphase on Zn anodes. Moreover, cationic NH4+ can preferentially adsorb on the Zn anode surface to shield the “tip effect” and homogenize the electric field. Benefitting from this comprehensive protection, dendrite-free Zn deposition and highly reversible Zn plating/stripping behaviors were realized. Besides, improved electrochemical performances can also be achieved in Zn//MnO2 full cells by taking the advantages of this triple-functional additive. This work provides a new strategy for stabilizing Zn anodes from a comprehensive perspective.


Highlights:


1 A triple functional additive with a trace amount (1 mM) was proposed to protect Zn anodes.
2 The additive lowers the hydrogen evolution reaction potential, encourages the formation of an in situ solid electrolyte interphase and shields the “tip effect”
3 Dendrite free Zn deposition and highly reversible Zn plating/stripping behaviors were realized by the triple protections

Keywords

Aqueous zinc-ion battery Cationic shielding effect Solid electrolyte interphase pH value Triple-functional additive
Chen, Ruwei, Wei Zhang, Quanbo Huang, Chaohong Guan, Wei Zong, Yuhang Dai, Zijuan Du, Zhenyu Zhang, Jianwei Li, Fei Guo, Xuan Gao, Haobo Dong, Jiexin Zhu, Xiaohui Wang, and Guanjie He. 2023. “Trace Amounts of Triple-Functional Additives Enable Reversible Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries from a Comprehensive Perspective”. Nano-Micro Letters 15 (March):81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01050-4.
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