Complexing Agent-Assisted Membraneless Zinc-Iodine Aqueous Batteries

A membrane is required for conventional zinc-iodine aqueous batteries, since soluble polyiodides cross over to the anode side and react with zinc metal spontaneously. Making the battery membraneless increases ion transport and reduces its cost and overall footprint. In this paper, a membraneless Zn-I₂ aqueous battery is demonstrated, employing a complexing agent, 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium iodide (MBPI), to promote the formation of I₅^--containing, phase-separated polyiodides upon charging, to minimize self-discharge and suppress Zn dendrite growth. With an additional 0.3 M MBPI in 4 M ZnI₂ electrolyte, the membraneless battery achieved 65 cycles with >85% Coulombic efficiency, whereas the MBPI-free control failed immediately. Additionally, a volumetric capacity of 14.3 Ah L^-1 was achieved, surpassing those of most membraneless batteries reported to date regardless of redox chemistry, and underscores the potential of complexing agents in simplifying the architecture of conventional Zn-I₂ flow batteries.