Interfacial Charge Orchestration for Durable Aqueous Zn Batteries.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Aqueous Zn||MnO₂ batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage due to cost and safety.
• Their practical application is limited by poor cycle life caused by interfacial reactions and low MnO₂ conductivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable and long-lasting aqueous Zn||MnO₂ battery.
• To address interfacial instability and poor charge transport in MnO₂ electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Designed a MoS₂-MnO₂-electrolyte triple-interface.
• Utilized MoS₂ to catalyze H₂O dissociation and stabilize interfacial pH.
• Engineered a MoS₂-MnO₂ heterojunction for accelerated electron transfer.

Main Results:

• Achieved exceptional durability with 92.7% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles at 20 C.
• Demonstrated stable cycling in pouch-scale devices with high areal capacity (5.2 mAh cm^-2).
• Successfully reshaped interfacial chemistry and charge transport dynamics.

Conclusions:

• The triple-interface design enables interfacial charge orchestration for improved battery performance.
• This strategy couples microenvironment regulation with transport control for advanced aqueous Zn batteries.
• The findings pave the way for grid-level application of aqueous zinc batteries.