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Related Concept Videos

Voltaic/Galvanic Cells02:47

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Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
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A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...
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In a galvanic cell, the electrical work is done by a redox system on its surroundings as electrons produced by the spontaneous redox reactions are transferred through an external circuit. Alternatively, an external circuit does work on a redox system by imposing a voltage sufficient to drive an otherwise nonspontaneous reaction in a process known as electrolysis. For instance, recharging a battery involves the use of an external power source to drive the spontaneous (discharge) cell reaction in...
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On comparing the reactivity of silver and lead, it is observed that the two ionic species, Ag+ (aq) and Pb2+ (aq), show a difference in their redox reactivity towards copper: the silver ion undergoes spontaneous reduction, while the lead ion does not. This relative redox activity can be easily quantified in electrochemical cells by a property called cell potential. This property is commonly known as cell voltage in electrochemistry, and it is a measure of the energy which accompanies the charge...
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A concentration cell is a type of a  voltaic cell constructed by connecting two almost identical half-cells, both based on the same half-reaction and using the same electrode, differing only in the concentration of one redox species. A concentration cell's potential, therefore, is determined only by the concentration difference of the particular redox species.
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Electrochemistry is the science involved in the interconversion of electrical and chemical reactions. Such reactions are called reduction-oxidation, or redox reactions. These important reactions are defined by changes in oxidation states for one or more reactant elements and include a subset of reactions involving the transfer of electrons between reactant species. Electrochemistry as a field has evolved to yield sufficient insights on the fundamental principles of redox chemistry and multiple...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 6, 2026

Solar-Driven Electrochemical Green Fuel Production from CO2 and Water Using Ti3C2Tx MXene-Supported CuZn and NiCo Catalysts
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Close-Loop Cathode Chemistry Enables Self-Rejuvenating Aqueous Zn-Te Batteries Compromised by Non-Equilibrium Redox

Rui Pan1, Yucheng Xie2, Bowen Jiang1

  • 1SEU-FEI Nano-Pico Center, Key Laboratory of MEMS of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|November 17, 2025
PubMed
Summary

This study revives dead zinc-tellurium batteries using a closed-loop chemistry with triethylsulfonium iodide. This approach regenerates the tellurium cathode and stabilizes the zinc anode, extending battery life and enabling material reuse.

Keywords:
non‐equilibrium dynamic pathwaysproton tunnelingregenerative chemistrysustainable aqueous zinc‐ion batterytellurium shuttle

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Electrochemistry
  • Energy Storage

Background:

  • Tellurium (Te) offers high capacity for aqueous zinc-ion batteries but suffers from performance degradation due to tellurium oxide hydrolysis and shuttle effects.
  • Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) drives non-equilibrium hydrolysis, leading to poor cycling stability in Zn-Te batteries.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate a method for rejuvenating degraded zinc-tellurium (Zn-Te) batteries.
  • To introduce a closed-loop chemistry to address the shuttle effect and anode passivation in aqueous Zn-ion batteries.

Main Methods:

  • Employing organic triethylsulfonium iodide (TESI) to facilitate a closed-loop chemistry within the battery.
  • Utilizing triiodide anions (I3-) to reduce dissolved tellurium species and regenerate the cathode.
  • Investigating the role of TES+ in forming a protective anode solid electrolyte interphase (SEI).

Main Results:

  • A completely degraded Zn-Te cell recovered 94.3% of its initial capacity after resting for 12 hours.
  • The triiodide/iodide redox couple effectively revitalized the tellurium cathode by reducing dissolved TeOx·H2O(aq).
  • TES+ promoted a stable anode SEI, preventing passivation and enabling dendrite-free zinc plating.

Conclusions:

  • The developed closed-loop chemistry successfully rejuvenates dead Zn-Te batteries, significantly improving capacity retention and cycle life.
  • The strategy enhances battery longevity and material reusability, offering a sustainable approach for cost-effective battery production.
  • This work presents a novel strategy for stabilizing tellurium-based cathodes and anodes in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.