Challenges and opportunities in 2D materials for high-performance aqueous ammonium ion batteries.

Aqueous ammonium ion batteries (AAIBs) have attracted considerable attention due to their high safety and rapid diffusion kinetics. Unlike spherical metal ions, NH forms hydrogen bonds with host materials, leading to a unique storage mechanism. A variety of electrode materials have been proposed for AAIBs, but their performance often falls short in terms of future energy storage needs.

Interfacial Engineering with a Conjugated Conductive Polymer for a Highly Reversible Zn Anode.

For Zn metal batteries, the Zn anode faces several challenges, including Zn dendrites, hydrogen evolution, and corrosion. These issues are closely related to the Zn deposition process at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Herein, we propose interfacial engineering to protect the Zn anode and induce homogeneous deposition using conjugated cyclized polyacrylonitrile (cPAN) polymer nanofibers.

Amorphization Stabilizes Te-based Aqueous Batteries via Confining Free Water.

Tellurium (Te), with its rich valence states (-2 to +6), could endow aqueous batteries with potentially high specific capacity. However, achieving complete and stable hypervalent Te0/Te4+ electrochemistry in an aqueous environment poses significant challenges, owing to the sluggish reduction kinetics, the easy dissolution of Te4+ species, and a controversial energy storage mechanism. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate an amorphous strategy for robust aqueous TeO2/Te electrochemistry.

Tailoring Water-in-DMSO Electrolyte for Ultra-stable Rechargeable Zinc Batteries.

Rechargeable zinc batteries (RZBs) are hindered by two primary challenges: instability of Zn anode and deterioration of the cathode structure in traditional aqueous electrolytes, largely attributable to the decomposition of active HO. Here, we design and synthesize a non-flammable water-in-dimethyl sulfoxide electrolyte to address these issues. X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in situ techniques and computational simulations demonstrate that the activity of HO in this electrolyte is extremely compressed, which not only suppresses the side reactions and increases the reversibility of Zn anode, but also diminishes the cathode dissolution and proton intercalation.

Polyhydroxy starch with abundant hydroxyls and a unique structure enables uniform Zn deposition.

Zinc metal is a promising anode material for zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), but severe side reactions and dendrite formation hinder its commercialization. In this study, starch is introduced into the ZnSO electrolyte for stabilizing the Zn anode. With abundant hydroxyl groups, starch can reconstruct the H-bond system in the electrolyte, suppressing side reactions.