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Zinc-Sponge Battery Electrodes that Suppress Dendrites
Published on: September 29, 2020
Regulating Electrolyte Microstructure via Anion-Solvent Coordination Enables Fast Interfacial Kinetics Toward
Meihua Zhu1,2, Houhou Huang3, Hui Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Physics and Chemistry of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Normal University, Changchun, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Introducing benzyl alcohol (BA) to zinc electrolytes improves zinc anode stability and rate performance by regulating solvation structure and enhancing ion transport. This strategy suppresses dendrites and hydrogen evolution for better battery function.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Zinc anodes are crucial for high-performance batteries but suffer from dendrite formation and poor ion transport.
- Current strategies for zinc anode stabilization often lead to sluggish kinetics, limiting battery rate performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an "anion regulation" strategy to enhance zinc anode stability and rate performance.
- To modulate electrolyte microstructure and solvation structure using amphiphilic benzyl alcohol (BA).
Main Methods:
- Introducing benzyl alcohol (BA) to Zn(OTf)2 electrolyte.
- Investigating the induced Zn2+-OTf-BA dual solvation structure via anion-solvent interactions.
- Analyzing the impact on solvation cluster size, uniformity, and ion diffusion kinetics.
- Examining the synergistic regulation of the first solvation shell and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation.
Main Results:
- BA addition downsized solvation clusters and improved microscopic uniformity, enhancing Zn2+ diffusion.
- Synergistic regulation of the solvation shell accelerated desolvation kinetics.
- An inorganic-rich SEI layer was constructed, improving interfacial stability.
- The modulated electrolyte enabled impressive rate performance (1500 h at 10 mA cm-2) and stability (260 h at 85% utilization).
Conclusions:
- The "anion regulation" strategy effectively improves zinc anode kinetics and stability.
- Benzyl alcohol is a promising additive for high-performance zinc-ion batteries.
- This approach offers a novel pathway for optimizing electrolyte microstructures for advanced energy storage devices.
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