AI Article Synopsis

  • Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are emerging as cost-effective and safe alternatives for large-scale energy storage, primarily due to the advantages of zinc.
  • Key research focuses on enhancing electrode materials for better Zn ion storage by examining structural changes in organosulfur compounds, specifically Zn-thiolate complexes.
  • The study reveals that modifying these complexes can significantly improve performance; for example, one modification drastically reduces voltage hysteresis and enhances specific capacity, while other strategies like increasing electrolyte concentration help improve cycling stability.

Article Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising candidates for large-scale electrical energy storage due to the inexpensive, safe, and non-toxic nature of zinc. One key area that requires further development is electrode materials that store Zn ions with high reversibility and fast kinetics. To determine the viability of low-cost organosulfur compounds as OEMs for AZIBs, we investigate how structural modification affects electrochemical performance in Zn-thiolate complexes 1 and 2. Remarkably, modification of one thiolate in 1 to sulfide in 2 reduces the voltage hysteresis from 1.04 V to 0.15 V. While 1 exhibits negligible specific capacity due to the formation of insulating DMcT polymers, 2 delivers a capacity of 107 mA h g with a primary discharge plateau at 1.1 V Zn/Zn. Spectroscopic studies of 2 suggest a Zn and H co-insertion mechanism with Zn as the predominant charge carrier. Capacity fading in Zn-2 cells likely results from the formation of (i) soluble H insertion products and (ii) non-redox-active side products. Increasing electrolyte concentration and using a Nafion membrane significantly enhances the stability of 2 by suppressing H insertion. Our findings provide insight into the molecular design strategies to reduce the polarization potential and improve the cycling stability of the thiolate/disulfide redox couple in aqueous battery systems.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8635210PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1sc04231aDOI Listing

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