Exploring interfacial electrocatalysis for iodine redox conversion in zinc-iodine battery

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Non-conductive iodine and soluble polyiodides hinder zinc-iodine battery development.
• Effective strategies are needed to improve interfacial reactions and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a novel interface for efficient electrocatalytic conversion of iodine.
• To enhance the performance and cycle life of zinc-iodine rechargeable batteries.

Main Methods:

• In-situ loading of molybdenum carbide nanoclusters (MoC) and zinc single atoms (Zn-SA) into porous carbon fibers.
• Investigating electronic interactions and orbital hybridization at the MoC-Zn-SA interface.
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate battery performance and stability.

Main Results:

• MoC and Zn-SA promote interfacial interactions with iodine species, suppressing shuttle effects.
• Optimal charge delocalization via Mo-I orbital hybridization lowers the redox energy barrier.
• Achieved a specific capacity of 230.6 mAh g⁻¹ with excellent capacity retention over 20,000 cycles.

Conclusions:

• Interfacial electrocatalysis effectively minimizes polyiodide intermediates in zinc-iodine batteries.
• The developed MoC-Zn-SA/carbon fiber composite offers a promising pathway for high-performance rechargeable batteries.