Achieving Dendrite-Free Zinc Metal Anodes via Molecule Anchoring and lon-Transport Pumping.

The potential for scale-up application has been acknowledged by researchers for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Nonetheless, the progress of the development is significantly impeded due to the instability of the interface between the zinc anode and electrolyte. Herein, efficient and environmentally benign valine (Val) were introduced as aqueous electrolyte additive to stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface (EEI) via functional groups in additive molecules, thus achieving reversible dendrite-free zinc anode.

Molecular Coupling Strategy Achieving In Situ Synthesis of Agglomeration-Free Solid Composite Electrolytes.

Solid composite electrolytes (SCEs) synergize inorganic and polymer merits for viable commercial application. However, inferior filler-polymer interfacial stability ultimately leads to the agglomeration of inorganic particles and greatly impedes Li migration. Herein, triethoxyvinylsilane (VTEO) is employed to form a strong chemical interaction between poly(vinylene carbonate) (PVC) and montmorillonite (MMT) via in situ solidification, which eliminates the agglomeration and improves interfacial compatibility.

Mg Doped Li-LiB Alloy with In Situ Formed Lithiophilic LiB Skeleton for Lithium Metal Batteries.

High energy density lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are promising next-generation energy storage devices. However, the uncontrollable dendrite growth and huge volume change limit their practical applications. Here, a new Mg doped Li-LiB alloy with in situ formed lithiophilic 3D LiB skeleton (hereinafter called Li-B-Mg composite) is presented to suppress Li dendrite and mitigate volume change.

Selenium-Doped Cathodes for Lithium-Organosulfur Batteries with Greatly Improved Volumetric Capacity and Coulombic Efficiency.

For the first time a new strategy is reported to improve the volumetric capacity and Coulombic efficiency by selenium doping for lithium-organosulfur batteries. Selenium-doped cathodes with four sulfur atoms and one selenium atom (as the doped heteroatom) in the confined structure are designed and synthesized; this structure exhibits greatly improved volumetric/areal capacities, and a Coulombic efficiency of almost 100% for highly stable lithium-organosulfur batteries. The doping of Se significantly enhances the electronic conductivity of battery electrodes by a factor of 6.