TY - JOUR
T1 - Elastomer–Alginate Interface for High-Power and High-Energy Zn Metal Anodes
AU - Liu, Qun
AU - Wang, Yu
AU - Hong, Xiaodan
AU - Zhou, Rui
AU - Hou, Zhen
AU - Zhang, Biao
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the General Research Fund (GRF) scheme of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (Project No. 15307221) and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (ZVRP and ZE2F). B.Z. is grateful for the Outstanding Young Researcher Award from the Faculty of Applied Science & Textiles.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2022/5/26
Y1 - 2022/5/26
N2 - Spontaneous corrosion and uncontrolled dendrite accumulation of Zn rapidly degrades zinc–metal battery performance. Artificial interfaces have been widely fabricated on Zn metal anodes, yet most interfaces are detrimental to ion transfer and adapt poorly to spatial changes during Zn plating/stripping. Herein, a hybrid interface, consisting of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fiber matrix and Zn-alginate (ZA) filler, is designed, which serves as a physical barrier between anode and electrolyte to inhibit side reactions. Encouragingly, ZA regulates Zn2+ transport and endows uniform Zn deposition by inducing plating/stripping underneath the hybrid interface. At the same time, the TPU frame acts as a super-elastic constraint to further suppress rampant dendrite evolution and accommodate a large amount of deposited Zn. Consequently, the interface-protected Zn anode delivers high cycling stability (1200 h at 5 mA cm–2/5 mA h cm–2; 500 h at 10 mA cm–2/10 mA h cm–2), realizing an exceptional cumulative capacity of over 6000 mA h cm–2. This enhancement is well maintained in the full cell when coupled with a vanadium-based cathode. The unique matrix-filler architecture and mechanistic insights unraveled in this study are expected to provide a general principle in designing functional interfaces for metal anodes.
AB - Spontaneous corrosion and uncontrolled dendrite accumulation of Zn rapidly degrades zinc–metal battery performance. Artificial interfaces have been widely fabricated on Zn metal anodes, yet most interfaces are detrimental to ion transfer and adapt poorly to spatial changes during Zn plating/stripping. Herein, a hybrid interface, consisting of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fiber matrix and Zn-alginate (ZA) filler, is designed, which serves as a physical barrier between anode and electrolyte to inhibit side reactions. Encouragingly, ZA regulates Zn2+ transport and endows uniform Zn deposition by inducing plating/stripping underneath the hybrid interface. At the same time, the TPU frame acts as a super-elastic constraint to further suppress rampant dendrite evolution and accommodate a large amount of deposited Zn. Consequently, the interface-protected Zn anode delivers high cycling stability (1200 h at 5 mA cm–2/5 mA h cm–2; 500 h at 10 mA cm–2/10 mA h cm–2), realizing an exceptional cumulative capacity of over 6000 mA h cm–2. This enhancement is well maintained in the full cell when coupled with a vanadium-based cathode. The unique matrix-filler architecture and mechanistic insights unraveled in this study are expected to provide a general principle in designing functional interfaces for metal anodes.
KW - corrosion
KW - dendrites
KW - elastomers
KW - zinc–metal batteries
KW - Zn-alginate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127673223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/aenm.202200318
DO - 10.1002/aenm.202200318
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85127673223
SN - 1614-6832
VL - 12
JO - Advanced Energy Materials
JF - Advanced Energy Materials
IS - 20
M1 - 2200318
ER -
