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Updated: Sep 9, 2025
Atomic Layer Deposition of Vanadium Dioxide and a Temperature-dependent Optical Model
Published on: May 23, 2018
Continuous Proton Channels in Vanadium Hexacyanoferrate Enable All-Round Improved Ultra-Low-Temperature Energy
Bofeng Zhang1, Jianhua Zhang1, Yingxue He2
1Key Laboratory for New Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
None:
Proton-based batteries emerge as a promising candidate for low-temperature energy conversion and storage, yet their practical implementation is constrained by cathode performance limitations. Herein, [Fe(CN)6] vacancies-mediated vanadium hexacyanoferrate (VFeCN-VHCF) with contiguous proton channels is pioneered as a proton cathode material for all-round improved ultra-low-temperature energy conversion. Through operando characterization and density functional theory calculations, we reveal that the [Fe(CN)6] vacancies induce the formation of V═O bonds, which serve as the active sites to store protons and endow VFeCN-VHCF to reach a high capacity. More crucially, the interaction between interstitial water and V═O─H groups constructs continuous proton channels within the VFeCN-VHCF framework, which enables rapid and unimpeded Grotthuss-type proton conduction during redox reactions. By employing VFeCN-VHCF as the proton cathode and hydrogen gas as the anode, the fabricated VFeCN-VHCF‖H2 proton full battery demonstrates an unprecedented specific capacity of 165.16 mAh g-1 at 0.1 Ag-1. Notably, even at an ultralow temperature of -80 °C, this battery maintains a high capacity of 86.63 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, which is significantly superior to previously reported low-temperature batteries. This work offers a promising avenue for the advancement of high-power energy storage systems designed to operate in extreme environmental conditions.
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