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Published on: September 29, 2020
Bolstered Interfacial Field Chemistry for Deep Fast-Charging Aqueous Zinc Metal Batteries
Minxi Sun1, Yining Chen1, Congge Lu1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Electronic Packaging and Advanced Functional Materials of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, People's Republic of China.
Nano-Micro Letters
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a new strategy using sulfosuccinic acid to improve fast charging in aqueous zinc metal batteries. This method enhances interfacial field chemistry, leading to significantly improved stability and performance in zinc batteries.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Aqueous zinc metal batteries are crucial for practical applications, but their fast-charging capability is limited by interfacial issues under high current densities.
- Sluggish Zn2+ desolvation, water reduction, and uneven electric/concentration fields hinder rate performance in conventional zinc batteries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the limitations of aqueous zinc metal batteries by developing a strategy to optimize interfacial field chemistry for enhanced fast-charging.
- To precisely regulate the physicochemical and electrochemical properties at the electrode/electrolyte interface using sulfosuccinic acid.
Main Methods:
- A bolstered interfacial field chemistry strategy was employed using sulfosuccinic acid to modify the electrode/electrolyte interface.
- The strategy focused on regulating interfacial ion and electric field distribution to promote desolvation and electron transfer.
- Performance was evaluated using Zn||Cu asymmetric cells, Zn||Zn symmetric cells, and Zn||I2 full cells under various conditions.
Main Results:
- Modified Zn||Cu cells achieved 99.48% average Coulombic efficiency over 1600 cycles at 2 mA cm-2.
- Modified Zn||Zn cells showed exceptional stability at high current densities (5-10 mA cm-2) and deep discharge.
- Full cells demonstrated long cycle life (1490 cycles) with high capacity retention and achieved over 680 cycles in pouch cells with an ultralow N/P ratio.
Conclusions:
- The sulfosuccinic acid-based strategy effectively bolsters interfacial field chemistry, overcoming key limitations in aqueous zinc metal batteries.
- This approach enables significantly improved fast-charging capabilities, stability, and Coulombic efficiency, paving the way for practical applications.
- The study highlights the potential of precise interfacial engineering for advancing high-performance energy storage systems.
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