Highly Textured Zinc Deposition: A Pathway to Long-Life Rechargeable Aqueous Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries (RAZBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage due to safety, cost, and sustainability.
• However, Zn dendrite growth and side reactions impede RAZB performance and lifespan.
• Directional Zn deposition is a critical strategy to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine recent advances in controlling Zn deposition orientation.
• To highlight key mechanisms driving directional Zn growth.
• To outline future research priorities for textured Zn deposition in RAZBs.

Main Methods:

• Review and analysis of current research on directional Zn deposition.
• Examination of micromechanisms governing oriented Zn growth.
• Discussion of strategies for scalable and application-driven deposition techniques.

Main Results:

• Directional Zn deposition offers a promising route to mitigate dendrite formation and side reactions.
• Understanding crystallographic texture and deposition mechanisms is crucial for optimization.
• Current research needs to expand beyond the Zn(002) plane and establish unified evaluation standards.

Conclusions:

• Achieving highly textured Zn deposition requires further research into micromechanisms and alternative crystallographic planes.
• Developing resilient deposition strategies and correlating orientation with full-cell performance are essential.
• This work provides a roadmap for high-performance, commercially viable RAZBs.