Tailoring Pore Structures of 3D Printed Cellular High-Loading Cathodes for Advanced Rechargeable Zinc-Ion Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Developing high-loading cathodes is crucial for commercializing aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs).
• Achieving superior electrochemical performance in ZIB cathodes remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore advanced 3D printing of cellular and hierarchical porous cathodes for superior ZIBs.
• To develop a high-performance 3D printable ink for ZIB cathodes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a composite ink of iron vanadate and reduced holey graphene oxide.
• Designed and fabricated a cellular cathode with hierarchical porous architecture using 3D printing.
• Investigated the electrochemical performance of the 3D printed cathodes.

Main Results:

• The 3D printed composite cathode exhibits interpenetrating transmission paths for electrons and ions.
• Cathodes with high mass loading (>10 mg cm⁻²) achieved a specific capacity of 344.8 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹.
• Demonstrated outstanding cycling stability over 650 cycles at 2 A g⁻¹ and a high areal capacity of 7.04 mAh cm⁻² at 24.4 mg cm⁻² mass loading.

Conclusions:

• The 3D printing strategy enables the creation of high-mass-loading cathodes with hierarchical porous structures.
• The developed cathodes show superior electrochemical performance and cycling stability for aqueous ZIBs.
• This approach offers a new pathway for designing state-of-the-art cathodes for ZIB applications.