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Published on: September 29, 2020
ZnMn2(PO4)2·nH2O: An H2O-Imbedding-Activated Cathode for Robust Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries
Chunhui Wang1,2, Keyi Xian2, Shuangshuang Zhao2
1Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research (Ministry of Education of China), National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petrochemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources, Key Laboratory of the Assembly and Application of Organic Functional Molecules of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Component modulation endows Mn-based electrodes with prominent energy storage properties due to their adjustable crystal structure characteristics. Herein, ZnMn2(PO4)2·nH2O (ZMP·nH2O) was obtained by a hydration reaction from ZnMn2(PO4)2 (ZMP) during an electrode-aging evolution. Benefiting from the introduction of lattice H2O molecules into the ZMP structure, the ion transmission path has been expanded along with the extended d-spacing, which will further facilitate the ZMP → ZMP·nH2O phase evolution and electrochemical reaction kinetics. Meanwhile, the hydrogen bond can be generated between H2O and O in PO43-, which strengthens the structure stability of ZMP·nH2O and lowers the conversion barrier from ZMP to ZMP·4H2O during the Zn2+ uptake/removal process. Thereof, ZMP·nH2O delivers enhanced electrochemical reaction kinetics with robust structure tolerance (106.52 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1 over 620 cycles). This high-energy aqueous Zn||ZMP·nH2O battery provides a facile strategy for engineering and exploration of high-performance ZIBs to realize the practical application of Mn-based cathodes.
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