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Updated: May 8, 2026

Zinc-Sponge Battery Electrodes that Suppress Dendrites
Published on: September 29, 2020
Entropy-Mediated Solvation Enables Interfacial Equilibrium for Stable Ah-Level Zinc Metal Batteries
Shenglong Li1, Yang Liu1, Liwei Chen1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Electronic Packaging and Advanced Functional Materials, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
Engineered a hybrid-entropy electrolyte to stabilize zinc metal batteries (ZMBs). This novel approach enhances interfacial chemistry, enabling dendrite-free zinc deposition and significantly extending battery life for durable energy storage.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Reversibility in aqueous zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) is limited by interfacial kinetics and electrolyte instability.
- Unstable electrolyte-metal interfaces lead to heterogeneous chemical potential gradients and poor Zn deposition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel electrolyte for enhanced interfacial stability in ZMBs.
- To improve the reversibility and cycling life of zinc anodes.
Main Methods:
- Introduced a hybrid-entropy (HE) electrolyte utilizing entropy-driven solvation restructuring.
- Quantified entropy contribution via Boltzmann's equation to modulate Gibbs free energy.
- Analyzed the formation of an inorganic-organic composite interphase on the Zn surface.
Main Results:
- The HE electrolyte thermodynamically minimized chemical-potential gradients, promoting interfacial uniformity.
- Achieved dense, dendrite-free zinc growth with progressive nucleation modes.
- Demonstrated extended cycling lifetime (>3000 h in symmetric cells) and high Coulombic efficiency (99% over 1000 cycles).
- Practical NaV3O8||Zn pouch cells showed stable operation for over 30 days at 2.0 mA·cm⁻².
Conclusions:
- Controllable entropy engineering is an effective strategy for designing advanced aqueous electrolytes.
- The HE electrolyte provides a viable pathway for developing durable, high-performance ZMBs.
- The developed interphase homogenizes ion flux and improves anode reversibility.
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