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Zinc-Sponge Battery Electrodes that Suppress Dendrites
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Empowering Zn Electrode Current Capability Along Interfacial Stability by Optimizing Intrinsic Safe Organic
Farva Ilyas1, Jiahang Chen1, Yang Zhang1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|November 12, 2022
Summary
Ionic liquids combined with TEP or TMP solvents create safer electrolytes for zinc anodes. This approach suppresses dendrite formation and improves stability, enabling high-capacity, long-lasting zinc batteries.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Metallic zinc anodes are promising for batteries but suffer from dendrite growth and interfacial issues in conventional electrolytes.
- Developing stable and safe electrolytes is crucial for practical zinc battery applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop intrinsically safe electrolytes for metallic zinc anodes using ionic liquids (ILs) combined with TEP or TMP solvents.
- To investigate the impact of ILs on electrolyte conductivity, electrochemical stability, and zinc anode performance.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of IL-TEP/TMP blends with approximately 25 wt% IL fraction.
- Electrochemical testing including cycling stability, ionic conductivity measurements, and interfacial resistance analysis.
- Microscopic analysis of the zinc anode morphology after cycling.
Main Results:
- IL-TEP/TMP blends exhibit ionic conductivities comparable to standard electrolytes.
- Electrolytes demonstrate significantly improved electrochemical stability, with over 1000 hours at 2.0 mA/cm² and 350 hours at 5.0 mA/cm².
- A high areal capacity of 10 mAh/cm² was achieved with dendrite-free, spongy-like zinc anode morphology.
Conclusions:
- The synergy between ILs and TEP/TMP solvents creates highly stable and safe electrolytes for zinc anodes.
- Functionalized ILs enhance Zn²⁺ transport and reduce interfacial resistance, leading to superior cycling performance.
- This electrolyte system effectively suppresses dendritic growth, paving the way for advanced zinc battery technologies.
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