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Updated: Mar 7, 2026
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Zinc-Sponge Battery Electrodes that Suppress Dendrites
Published on: September 29, 2020
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Sub-micron-resolution temperature mapping of Zn negative electrode for flow batteries
Shengnan Wang1,2, Yao Gao3, Shixun Wang1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Nature Communications
|March 5, 2026
Summary
Zinc dendrite growth in flow batteries is linked to localized temperature variations. A novel liquid metal electrode suppresses these hotspots, significantly improving battery cycling stability and performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Quantum Sensing
Background:
- Zinc-based flow batteries offer sustainable energy storage but face challenges with zinc electrode reversibility and dendrite formation.
- Localized temperature non-uniformity is suspected to accelerate dendrite growth, but direct observation is limited by current techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between localized temperature distribution and zinc dendrite formation during deposition.
- To develop and implement a novel method for in situ temperature monitoring at the microscale.
- To engineer a solution for mitigating dendrite growth and enhancing zinc-based flow battery performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized optically detected magnetic resonance with nanodiamond quantum sensors for non-invasive temperature monitoring with sub-micron spatial resolution (~300 nm) and high temperature sensitivity (~2 K/Hz^0.5).
- Performed simulations to assess the impact of substrate thermal conductivity on zinc deposition uniformity.
- Introduced a flowable gallium-indium liquid metal electrode to manage localized heat and reduce interfacial temperature gradients.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that spatial temperature non-uniformity plays a critical role in accelerating dendrite growth and short-circuiting.
- Simulations confirmed that higher substrate thermal conductivity enhances zinc deposition uniformity.
- The liquid metal electrode effectively dispersed localized heat, suppressed hotspot-driven dendrite growth, and enabled in situ formation of a liquid zinc alloy.
Conclusions:
- Localized temperature gradients are a key factor in zinc dendrite formation and battery degradation.
- A flowable liquid metal electrode is a promising strategy to mitigate these thermal issues, suppress dendrites, and improve the cycling stability of zinc-based flow batteries.
- The developed quantum sensing technique provides unprecedented insight into the microscale thermal dynamics of electrochemical processes.
