Stable, high-performance, dendrite-free, seawater-based aqueous batteries.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Metal anode instability, including dendrite growth and corrosion, limits aqueous battery performance.
• This instability at the electrolyte/electrode interface is a major hurdle for widespread energy storage applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a universal strategy for overcoming metal anode instability in aqueous batteries.
• To investigate the use of rationally designed alloyed materials, specifically Zn-M alloys (M = Mn and other transition metals), as model systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilized in-situ optical visualization to observe electrochemical behaviors.
• Employed finite element analysis to mimic electrochemical environments and analyze complex behaviors.
• Tested Zn-Mn alloy anodes under harsh conditions, including seawater electrolytes and high current densities (80 mA cm⁻²).

Main Results:

• Zn-Mn alloy anodes demonstrated remarkable stability over thousands of cycles.
• The proposed alloy design strategy effectively mitigated dendrite growth and corrosion.
• Successful operation was achieved in challenging environments like seawater-based electrolytes.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy offers a universal approach to enhance anode stability in aqueous batteries.
• In-situ visualization protocols provide valuable insights into dendrite growth mechanisms.
• This work establishes a new milestone for durable electrode development in aqueous batteries and beyond.