Talc as Dynamic Zincophilic Sites Enables Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Anodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Zinc dendrite growth is a major obstacle for reversible zinc metal anodes (ZMAs).
• Existing zincophilic sites face coverage and deactivation issues, limiting ZMA performance.
• High areal capacities exacerbate these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a dynamic zincophilic site for improved ZMA reversibility.
• To overcome the deactivation and coverage issues of static zincophilic sites.
• To enhance the cycling stability and performance of zinc-based batteries.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of Talc as a dynamic zincophilic additive into a ZnSO4-based electrolyte.
• Investigating Talc's adsorption and Zn2+ carrying capabilities.
• Evaluating cell performance using Zn-Zn symmetric cells, Zn-Cu half-cells, and Zn-NH4V4O10 full cells.

Main Results:

• The BE + Talc electrolyte demonstrated stable cycling in Zn-Zn symmetric cells for 200 h at 10 mA cm-2 and 5 mAh cm-2.
• Zn-Cu half-cells achieved over 1200 stable cycles at 5 mA cm-2 and 1 mAh cm-2.
• Zn-NH4V4O10 full cells with Talc retained 82.7% capacity after 200 cycles under practical conditions.

Conclusions:

• Talc functions as a dynamic zincophilic site, effectively facilitating Zn2+ deposition and maintaining anode reversibility.
• The dynamic nature of Talc prevents deactivation, offering a superior alternative to static zincophilic sites.
• This study presents a promising strategy for developing highly reversible and stable zinc metal anodes for advanced energy storage applications.