Tile-like (101)-textured surface reconstruction enables durable zinc anodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) offer safe and low-cost energy storage.
• Interfacial instability, including dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution, hinders AZMB performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel zinc anode with enhanced stability and performance for AZMBs.
• To address interfacial challenges in AZMBs through surface engineering.

Main Methods:

• An ultrasonic-assisted etching strategy was employed to construct a GP5-Zn anode.
• The strategy focused on exposing preferential Zn(101) crystal facets and creating a tile-like surface structure.
• Electrochemical performance was evaluated, including cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency.

Main Results:

• The GP5-Zn anode exhibited preferentially exposed Zn(101) facets and a tile-like surface.
• Stable cycling over 2000 hours at 0.5 mA cm⁻² with 99.08% Coulombic efficiency was achieved.
• A full cell with a V₂O₅ cathode demonstrated over 1500 cycles with mitigated self-discharge.

Conclusions:

• The ultrasonic-assisted etching strategy effectively engineers the zinc anode surface for improved stability.
• The GP5-Zn anode shows significant potential for practical, large-scale aqueous zinc metal battery applications.
• This approach offers a facile method for constructing high-performance zinc anodes via surface reconstruction and facet engineering.