Boosting Zinc-Ion Storage Capability by Effectively Suppressing Vanadium Dissolution Based on Robust Layered Barium...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Vanadium-based compounds are promising cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to high specific capacity.
• Challenges include vanadium dissolution and byproduct generation, leading to capacity fade and poor cycle life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer robust barium vanadate nanobelt cathodes for improved AZIB performance.
• To investigate the impact of barium precursor concentration on cathode architecture and electrochemical properties.

Main Methods:

• Controllable synthesis of barium vanadate nanobelts with V3O8-type (Ba1.2V6O16·3H2O and BaV6O16·3H2O) and V2O5-type (BaV2O5·nH2O) architectures.
• Electrochemical characterization of the synthesized nanobelts as cathodes in AZIBs.

Main Results:

• Layered Ba1.2V6O16·3H2O nanobelts exhibited superior rate capability and long-term cyclability.
• The robust architecture effectively suppressed cathode dissolution and byproduct formation (Zn4SO4(OH)6·xH2O).
• Enhanced zinc-ion kinetics were observed in the V3O8-type nanobelts.

Conclusions:

• Robust cathode architectures are crucial for improving the electrochemical performance of AZIBs.
• Barium vanadate nanobelts offer a viable strategy for developing high-performance and stable AZIB cathodes.
• Tuning precursor amounts allows for controlled synthesis of desired nanobelt structures.