In Situ Self-Reconfiguration Induced Multifunctional Triple-Gradient Artificial Interfacial Layer toward Long-Life Zn-Metal Anodes.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries featuring with intrinsic safety and low cost are highly desirable for large-scale energy storage, but the unstable Zn-metal anode resulting from uncontrollable dendrite growth and grievous hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) shortens their cycle life. Herein, a feasible in situ self-reconfiguration strategy is developed to generate triple-gradient poly(diallyldimethylammonium) bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PDDA-TFSI)-Zn(OH)Cl·HO-Sn (PT-ZHC-Sn) artificial layer. The resulting triple-gradient interface consists of the spherical top layer PT with cation confinement and HO inhibition, the dense intermediate layer ZHC nanosheet with Zn conduction and electron shielding, and the bottom layer Znophilic Sn metal.

Molecular Engineering Enables Hydrogel Electrolyte with Ionic Hopping Migration and Self-Healability toward Dendrite-Free Zinc-Metal Anodes.

Hydrogel electrolytes (HEs), characterized by intrinsic safety, mechanical stability, and biocompatibility, can promote the development of flexible aqueous zinc-ion batteries (FAZIBs). However, current FAZIB technology is severely restricted by the uncontrollable dendrite growth arising from undesirable reactions between the HEs with sluggish ionic conductivity and Zn metal. To overcome this challenge, this work proposes a molecular engineering strategy, which involves the introduction of oxygen-rich poly(urea-urethane) (OR-PUU) into polyacrylamide (PAM)-based HEs.

Etching of Multifunctional Three-Dimensional Interfacial Layers for the Construction of Porous Zn Anodes with Enhanced Surface Textures.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries offer the advantages of greater security and lower fabrication costs over their lithium-ion counterparts. However, their further advancement and practical application are hindered by the drastic decay in their performance due to the uncontrollable dendrite growth on Zn anodes. In this study, we fabricated a versatile three-dimensional (3D) interfacial layer (3D PVDF-Zn(TFO) (PVDF: poly(vinylidene fluoride); TFO: trifluoromethanesulfonate), which simultaneously formed porous Zn-metal anodes (PZn) with an enhanced (002) texture, via a etching scheme.