ZIF-derived ZnO/Sb composite scaffolded on carbon framework for Ni-Zn batteries

Ni-Zn, Zn-MnO₂, and Zn-air batteries have the advantages of inflammability, material abundance, and high specific energy. However, their applications are limited by the poor rechargeability of zinc anodes, which are related to shape changes, dendrite growth, corrosion, passivation, dissolution, etc. In this study, we developed a zeolitic-imidazolate framework (ZIF)-based route to construct a novel ZnO/Sb composite anode. The resultant zinc anode is scaffolded on carbon cloth (CC) and then encapsulated by carbonized resorcinol-formaldehyde resins. Such a carbon-framed ZnO/Sb anode shows the excellent rate and cycling properties because Sb suppresses the corrosion and improves interparticle conductivity, and the ZIF-derived carbon frame accommodates the shape changes, blocks the zinc dissolution, and accelerates the charge transfer. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of anti-corrosion and carbon-framed structure design on pouch and cable-like Ni-Zn batteries.