Uniform Zinc Deposition Regulated by a Nitrogen-Doped MXene Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interlayer.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Zinc metal anodes in aqueous zinc-ion batteries suffer from dendrite formation and side reactions, limiting their practical use.
• Developing stable and efficient anode protection is crucial for advancing battery technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a nitrogen-doped MXene (NMX) artificial protective layer for zinc anodes.
• To improve the stability and electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a nitrogen-doped MXene (NMX) protective layer on a zinc anode.
• Electrochemical testing of the NMX-protected zinc anode in symmetric and asymmetric cells.
• Analysis of zinc deposition behavior and interfacial properties.

Main Results:

• The NMX layer exhibits high conductivity and uniformly distributed zincophilic sites.
• NMX promotes uniform zinc deposition, homogenizes the electric field, and reduces overpotential.
• The protected anode demonstrates remarkable stability, cycling for 1900 hours at 1 mA cm⁻² and achieving 99.79% Coulomb efficiency over 4800 cycles in asymmetric cells.

Conclusions:

• Nitrogen-doped MXene serves as an effective artificial protective layer for zinc anodes.
• The NMX layer significantly enhances the cycle stability and reversibility of aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
• This strategy offers a promising pathway for the development of high-performance and safe zinc-ion batteries.