Inhibiting Interfacial Electron Leakage via An Artificial Rectified Layer for Longevous Zinc Metal Anodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Aqueous zinc ion batteries face challenges from dendrite formation and water-induced side reactions.
• These issues hinder the practical implementation and long-term stability of zinc batteries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a protective layer for zinc anodes that suppresses dendrite growth and parasitic reactions.
• To enhance the performance and cycle life of aqueous zinc ion batteries.

Main Methods:

• In situ synthesis of an artificial rectified layer (ARL) with hydrophobic, zincophilic, and insulating properties on the zinc surface.
• Utilizing calculated work function and multi-physics phase simulations to understand ARL's mechanism.
• Fabricating and testing zinc symmetric cells and Zn||MnO2 full batteries.

Main Results:

• The ARL effectively prevents electron leakage, promoting uniform zinc deposition with a (002) crystal facet preference.
• Zinc anodes with ARL achieved a Coulombic efficiency of 99.86% over 3200 cycles.
• Zn symmetric cells demonstrated stable operation at 40 mA cm⁻² and 44.2% depth of discharge for 250 hours.
• Zn||MnO2 full batteries showed over 2600 cycles with 80.1% capacity retention and low self-discharge.

Conclusions:

• The ARL serves as an effective solid electrolyte interphase, significantly improving zinc anode performance.
• This approach offers a novel strategy for designing stable and high-performance aqueous zinc ion batteries.