A Self-Regulated Electrostatic Shielding Layer toward Dendrite-Free Zn Batteries.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Aqueous zinc batteries offer a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
• Practical use is hindered by zinc dendrite formation and hydrogen evolution reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce cerium chloride (CeCl3) as a novel electrolyte additive for aqueous zinc batteries.
• To investigate the mechanism by which CeCl3 improves zinc deposition and electrolyte stability.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical characterizations
• In situ optical microscopy
• In situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry
• Density functional theory calculations
• Finite element method simulations

Main Results:

• CeCl3 facilitates a dynamic electrostatic shielding layer, promoting uniform zinc deposition.
• Suppression of zinc dendritic growth and enhanced electrolyte stability were observed.
• Zn-Zn cells achieved 2600 h cycling stability and high Coulombic efficiency (≈99.7%).
• Zn-LiFePO4 cells with CeCl3 additive showed significantly improved capacity retention.

Conclusions:

• Cerium chloride is an effective, low-cost, and green additive for improving aqueous zinc battery performance.
• The additive strategy offers a promising pathway for developing next-generation, high-performance aqueous zinc batteries.