A multifunctional quasi-solid-state polymer electrolyte with highly selective ion highways for practical zinc ion batteries.

The uncontrolled dendrite growth and detrimental parasitic reactions of Zn anodes currently impede the large-scale implementation of aqueous zinc ion batteries. Here, we design a versatile quasi-solid-state polymer electrolyte with highly selective ion transport channels via molecular crosslinking of sodium polyacrylate, lithium magnesium silicate and cellulose nanofiber. The abundant negatively charged ionic channels modulate Zn desolvation process and facilitate ion transport.

Polyethylene Glycol-Protected Zinc Microwall Arrays for Stable Zinc Anodes.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries promise good commercial application prospects due to their environmental benignity and easy assembly under atmospheric conditions, positioning them as a viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, some inherent issues, such as chaotic zinc dendrite growth and inevitable side reactions, challenge the commercialization progress. In this work, we imprint highly ordered zinc microwall arrays to regulate the electric field toward uniform Zn deposition.

Pre-Corrosion of Zinc Metal Anodes for Enhanced Stability and Kinetics.

Non-uniform zinc plating/stripping in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) often leads to dendrites formation and low Coulombic efficiency (CE), limiting their large-scale application. In this study, a pre-corroded Zn (PC-Zn) anode with 3D ridge-like structure is constructed by a facile solution etching in sodium hypophosphite (NaHPO) solution. The surface preparation process can significantly remove impurities from the passivation layer of bare Zn anode, thus exposing a great quantity of active sites for easy plating/stripping.

Highly Reversible Zn Anode Design Through Oriented ZnO(002) Facets.

The practical implementation of aqueous Zn-ion batteries presents formidable hurdles, including uncontrolled dendrite growth, water-induced side reactions, suboptimal Zn metal utilization, and intricate Zn anode manufacturing. Here, large-scale construction of a highly oriented ZnO(002) lattice plane on Zn anode (ZnO(002)@Zn) with thermodynamic inertia and kinetic zincophilicity is designed to address such problems. Both theoretical calculations and experiment results elucidate that the ZnO(002)@Zn possesses high Zn chemical affinity, hydrogen evolution reaction suppression, and dendrite-free deposition ability due to the abundant lattice oxygen species in ZnO(002) and its low lattice mismatch with Zn(002).

Exploring the Electrochemical Superiority of VO/TiO@TiC-MXene Hybrid Nanostructures for Enhanced Lithium-Ion Battery Performance.

The use of vanadium(V)-based materials as electrode materials in electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices is promising due to their structural and chemical variety, abundance, and low cost. V-based materials with a layered structure and high multielectron transfer in the redox reaction have been actively explored for energy storage. Our current work presents the structural and electrochemical properties of a vanadium-based composite with TiO@TiC MXene, referred to as VM.

Modulating Solvation Shell with Acrylamide Electrolyte Additives for Reversible Zn Anodes.

The reconsideration of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) has been motivated by the attractive zinc metal, which stands out for its high theoretical capacity and cost efficiency. Nonetheless, detrimental side reactions triggered by the remarkable reactivity of HO molecules and rampant dendrite growth significantly compromise the stability of the zinc metal anode. Herein, a novel approach was proposed by leveraging the unique properties of acrylamide (AM) molecules to increase the driving force for nucleation and parasitic reactions.

Regulating the vacancies of nitrogen-doped carbon nanohorns for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption.

Single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs), which are sealed on one side with a conical cap and can self-aggregate, are aggregates with spherical morphology ranging from 30 to 100 nm and include dahlia, bud, and seed structures. These SWCNHs are suitable for electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) due to their conductivity loss. However, conductivity loss, which is part of three primary loss mechanisms, leads to SWCNHs suffering from impedance mismatching and a narrow effective absorption bandwidth (EAB).

Tuning Vertical Electrodeposition for Dendrites-Free Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Manipulating the crystallographic orientation of zinc deposition is recognized as an effective approach to address zinc dendrites and side reactions for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). We introduce 2-methylimidazole (Mlz) additive in zinc sulfate (ZSO) electrolyte to achieve vertical electrodeposition with preferential orientation of the (100) and (110) crystal planes. Significantly, the zinc anode exhibited long lifespan with 1500 h endurance at 1 mA cm and an excellent 400 h capability at a depth of discharge (DOD) of 34% in Zn||Zn battery configurations, while in Zn||MnO battery assemblies, a capacity retention of 68.

In-Situ Ultrafast Construction of Zinc Tungstate Interface Layer for Highly Reversible Zinc Anodes.

Constructing artificial solid electrolyte interface on the Zn anode surface is recognized as an appealing method to inhibit zinc dendrites and side reactions, whereas the current techniques are complex and time-consuming. Here, a robust and zincophilic zinc tungstate (ZnWO) layer has been in situ constructed on the Zn anode surface (denoted as ZWO@Zn) by an ultrafast chemical solution reaction. Comprehensive characterizations and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the ZWO layer can effectively modulate the interfacial electric field distribution and promote the Zn uniform diffusion, thus facilitating the uniform Zn nucleation and suppressing zinc dendrites.

High-Rate and Ultra-Stable aqueous Zinc-Ion batteries enabled by Potassium-Infused ammonium vanadate nanosheets.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), defined by low expenses, superior safety, and plentiful reserves, demonstrate tremendous development potential in energy storage systems at the grid scale. Whereas the cathode instability and the limited diffusion of Zn have impeded the development of AZIBs. Herein, a high-performance K-NHVO (K-NVO) cathode with K doping synthesized successfully through one-step hydrothermal approach.

Industrial Waste Derived Separators for Zn-Ion Batteries Achieve Homogeneous Zn(002) Deposition Through Low Chemical Affinity Effects.

Designing a cost-effective and multifunctional separator that ensures dendrite-free and stable Zn metal anode remains a significant challenge. Herein, a multifunctional cellulose-based separator is presented consisting of industrial waste-fly ash particles and cellulose nanofiber using a facile solution-coating method. The resulting fly ash-cellulose (FACNF) separators enable a high ion conductivity (5.

Architecting a High-Energy-Density Rocking-Chair Zinc-Ion Batteries via Carbon-Wrapped Vanadium Dioxide.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) show great potential in large-scale energy storage applications because of their low cost and high safety features, whereas the inefficient zinc utilization and uncontrollable dendrite issue of the zinc metal anode greatly limit their energy density and cycling stability. Herein, a carbon-wrapped vanadium dioxide (VO@C) core-shell composite has been prepared and utilized as an intercalated anode of "rocking-chair" ZIBs. Benefiting from the carbon shell, the charge transfer and structural stability of VO@C have been significantly improved, thus delivering a specific capacity of 425 mA h g at 0.

Constructing stable VO/VO heterostructure interface with fast Zn diffusion kinetics for ultralong lifespan zinc-ion batteries.

Given their plentiful reserves, impressive safety features, and economical pricing, aqueous zinc - ion batteries (ZIBs) have positioned themselves as strong competitors to lithium - ion batteries. Yet, the scarcity of available cathode materials poses a challenge to their continued development. In this study, a VO/VO heterostructure has been synthesized using a one - pot hydrothermal approach and employed as the cathode material for ZIBs.

Zn salts incorporated polyurethane/polyacrylonitrile electrospinning fiber membrane for high porosity polymer electrolyte in Zn ion battery.

So far, a large variety of polymer molecule architectures have been explored in the electrolyte field. Polymer electrolytes have gathered research efforts as an interesting alternative to conventional liquid electrolytes due to their advantages of low probability of leakage and low volatility of liquid solvent, lightweight, flexibility, inertness, high durability, and thermal stability. In this work, a polymer electrolyte developed from a polyurethane/polyacrylonitrile (PU/PAN) electrospinning fiber membrane was added with different zinc (Zn) salts, namely, Zn(CHCO), ZnSO, and Zn(OTf).

Highly Reversible Zn Metal Anode with Low Voltage Hysteresis Enabled by Tannic Acid Chemistry.

The zinc dendrites and side reactions formed on the zinc anode have greatly hindered the development of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Herein, we introduce tannic acid (TA) as an additive in the ZnSO (ZSO) electrolyte to enhance the reversible Zn plating/stripping behavior. TA molecules are found to adsorb onto the zinc surface, forming a passivation layer and replacing some of the HO molecules in the Zn solvation sheath to form the [Zn(HO)TA] complex; this process effectively prevents side reactions.

Interfacial Reconstruction for Regulating Zn Deposition toward Ultrastable Zn Metal Anodes.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are attracting much attention as high-density energy storage systems owing to their fascinating features with low cost, high safety, and simple manufacturing process. However, the commercialization of Zn anodes is hindered by uncontrollable dendrite growth and water-induced side reactions. Herein, a spontaneous reconstruction of a honeycomb-structural hopeite layer (ZPO) on a Zn metal anode (Zn@ZPO) is rationally developed as a functional protection interface by the liquid-phase deposition strategy.

Reconstructing the Anode Interface and Solvation Shell for Reversible Zinc Anodes.

The attractive advantages of the Zn metal anode and water-based electrolyte, such as inherent safety and low cost, endow the zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) with great potential in the future energy storage market. However, the severe surface side reactions and dendrites affect the service lifespan and electrochemical performance of ZIBs. Herein, a bifunctional electrolyte additive, l-ascorbic acid sodium (LAA), has been added into ZnSO (ZSO) electrolyte (ZSO + LAA) to settle the above issues of ZIBs.

Ion Co-storage in Porous Organic Frameworks through On-site Coulomb Interactions for High Energy and Power Density Batteries.

Fast and continuous ion insertion is blocked in the common electrodes operating with widely accepted single-ion storage mechanism, primarily due to Coulomb repulsion between the same ions. It results in an irreconcilable conflict between capacity and rate performance. Herein, we designed a porous organic framework with novel multiple-ion co-storage modes, including PF /Li , OTF /Mg , and OTF /Zn co-storage.

Designing a Built-In Electric Field for Efficient Energy Electrocatalysis.

To utilize intermittent renewable energy as well as achieve the goals of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality, various electrocatalytic devices have been developed. However, the electrocatalytic reactions, e.g.

High electrolyte uptake of MXene integrated membrane separators for Zn-ion batteries.

The recent development of separators with high flexibility, high electrolyte uptake, and ionic conductivity for batteries have gained considerable attention. However, studies on composite separators with the aforementioned properties for aqueous electrolytes in Zn-ion batteries are limited. In this research, a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/bio-based polyurethane (PU)/TiCT MXene composite membrane was fabricated using an electrospinning technique.

Understanding the Catalytic Kinetics of Polysulfide Redox Reactions on Transition Metal Compounds in Li-S Batteries.

Because of their high energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the potential candidates for the next-generation energy-storage devices. However, they have been troubled by sluggish reaction kinetics for the insoluble LiS product and capacity degradation because of the severe shuttle effect of polysulfides. These problems have been overcome by introducing transition metal compounds (TMCs) as catalysts into the interlayer of modified separator or sulfur host.

Sputter-Deposited Binder-Free Nanopyramidal Cr/γ-MoN TFEs for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

Due to their outstanding power density, long cycle life and low cost, supercapacitors have gained much interest. As for supercapacitor electrodes, molybdenum nitrides show promising potential. Molybdenum nitrides, however, are mainly prepared as nanopowders via a chemical route and require binders for the manufacture of electrodes.