Exposing Zn(002) Texture with Sucralose Additive for Stable and Dendrite-Free Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) face challenges in cyclic stability at high current densities due to dendrite growth and side reactions.
• Improving AZIB performance is crucial for developing safer and more sustainable energy storage solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of sucralose (SCL) as an electrolyte additive in AZIBs.
• To enhance the cyclic stability and electrochemical performance of AZIBs by controlling zinc deposition.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing sucralose as an electrolyte additive in AZIBs.
• Analyzing the effect of SCL on zinc nucleation and diffusion.
• Investigating the modification of the electrolyte's hydrogen bond network and solvation structure.
• Conducting electrochemical tests on Zn//Zn symmetric cells, Zn//Cu half cells, and NH4V4O10//Zn full cells.

Main Results:

• SCL promotes the exposure of the Zn(002) texture, leading to more uniform zinc deposition.
• SCL reconstructs the solvation structure and suppresses hydrogen evolution reactions.
• Zn//Zn symmetric batteries achieved over 4900 hours of stable cycling at 1 mA cm⁻².
• NH4V4O10//Zn full batteries retained 90.7% capacity after 500 cycles at 500 mA g⁻¹.

Conclusions:

• Sucralose is an effective additive for improving the long-term cyclic stability of AZIBs.
• SCL enables high-performance AZIBs by controlling zinc plating and suppressing parasitic reactions.
• The findings offer a promising strategy for developing high-performance and stable AZIBs.