Using MXene as a Chemically Induced Initiator to Construct High-Performance Cathodes for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• MXene materials typically exhibit limited pseudo-capacitance in aqueous zinc-ion batteries, hindering their use as high-capacity cathode materials.
• Insufficient reversible capacity in MXene cathodes leads to performance degradation in zinc-ion batteries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an in situ induced growth strategy for MXene-based cathode materials.
• To enhance the capacity and rate performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries by engineering vanadium oxide morphology and structure.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of 5.25% MXene into the nucleation and growth of vanadium oxide (HVO) to form T-HVO.
• Utilized characterizations and Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations to elucidate the T-HVO growth mechanism.
• Conducted in situ experiments for dynamic analysis of improved battery performance.

Main Results:

• The in situ induced growth strategy significantly improved the capacity and rate performance of the cathode materials.
• MXene acted as a heterogeneous nucleation site, initiating and regulating the formation of T-HVO.
• Demonstrated efficient, safe, and high-output characteristics of the proposed strategy compared to other defect introduction methods.

Conclusions:

• The study proposes a novel in situ induced growth strategy for MXene materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
• The induced chemical mechanism of MXene in regulating vanadium oxide structure was disclosed.
• This work provides insights for the development and application of advanced cathode materials in energy storage devices.