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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
06:58
Zinc-Sponge Battery Electrodes that Suppress Dendrites
Published on: September 29, 2020
Harnessing Cation-Anion Synergistic Effect for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries
Weichen Li1, Jiyang Liu2, Junhong Guo3
1Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, P. R. China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|July 2, 2026
Summary
Guanidine sulfate additive enhances aqueous zinc-ion batteries by preventing side reactions. This improves battery stability and lifespan, making them more practical for large-scale energy storage.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) offer safe, eco-friendly, and cost-effective large-scale energy storage.
- Zinc anode instability due to side reactions limits AZIB performance and cycle life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an electrolyte additive that suppresses zinc anode side reactions in AZIBs.
- To enhance the stability and reversibility of AZIBs through synergistic cation-anion interactions.
Main Methods:
- Investigated guanidine sulfate (GS) as an electrolyte additive.
- Utilized theoretical calculations and experimental validation.
- Tested Zn||Cu asymmetric and Zn||Zn symmetric cells.
- Evaluated full cells (Zn||Od-NVO·nH2O).
Main Results:
- Guanidine cation (CH6N3+) promotes uniform zinc deposition via electrostatic shielding.
- Sulfate anion (SO42-) forms a stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI), inhibiting dendrites.
- Zn||Cu cells achieved 99.6% Coulombic efficiency over 1200 cycles.
- Zn||Zn cells exceeded 500 hours of stable cycling.
- Full cells retained >90% capacity after 2000 cycles.
Conclusions:
- Cation-anion synergistic mechanism of GS effectively mitigates zinc anode issues.
- GS additive significantly improves AZIB cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency.
- This strategy offers a promising approach for advancing AZIB technology.
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