A Multiphase Composite for High-Performance Alkaline Zinc Batteries

The development of high-performance cathode materials represents a crucial strategy for enhancing the overall electrochemical performance of aqueous alkaline zinc batteries. The rational design of electrode microstructure and chemical composition can synergistically boost the electrochemical reaction activity, ion/electron transport kinetics, and structural stability. In this work, a composite cathode material, FLG@Ni_xS₆/Co₄S₃/Ni-Co(OH)₂, was successfully synthesized via an electrochemical codeposition method. The engineered architecture offers abundant electrochemically active sites, well-defined ion diffusion pathways, and continuous electron conduction networks. Moreover, the strong interaction among the constituent phases effectively regulates and accelerates the redox reaction kinetics. When integrated into an aqueous alkaline zinc battery, the device attains a high specific capacity of 385 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1, excellent rate capability (287 mAh g^-1 at 80 A g^-1), a gravimetric energy density of 590 Wh kg^-1, a power density of 128.57 kW kg^-1, and remarkable cycling stability, with 100% capacity retention maintained after 20,000 cycles. Overall, this study proposes a scalable and rational composite strategy for designing high-performance electrode materials for next-generation electrochemical energy storage systems.