Interface Engineering with Dynamics-Mechanics Coupling for Highly Reactive and Reversible Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Aqueous ion batteries (AZIBs) face challenges like dendrite formation and hydrogen evolution due to zinc metal's instability.
• Interface engineering of the zinc anode is crucial for enhancing AZIB performance and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel interfacial layer for zinc anodes to suppress dendrites and side reactions in AZIBs.
• To investigate the mechanism of the G&B-S interfacial layer in promoting uniform zinc deposition and improving battery cycling stability.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a sulfonate-derivatized graphene-boronene nanosheets (G&B-S) composite interfacial layer via electroplating.
• Electrochemical characterization of G&B-S modified zinc anodes in symmetric cells and full cells.
• Theoretical calculations and Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to analyze interfacial properties.

Main Results:

• The G&B-S interface layer effectively promotes dendrite-free zinc deposition by facilitating fast desolvation and creating a uniform electric field.
• G&B-S@Zn symmetric batteries demonstrated exceptional long-term cycling (1900 h) at a high current density (5 mA cm⁻²) with a low overpotential (≈30 mV).
• LMO//G&B-S@Zn full cells exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, highlighting the anode's durability.

Conclusions:

• The G&B-S composite interfacial layer is a promising strategy for significantly enhancing the electrochemical performance and stability of AZIBs.
• This multifunctional interface layer addresses key limitations of zinc metal anodes, paving the way for practical AZIB applications.