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Highly reversible Zn anode with a practical areal capacity enabled by a sustainable electrolyte and superacid interfacial chemistry

  • Chang Li
  • , Abhinandan Shyamsunder
  • , Alexis Grace Hoane
  • , Daniel M. Long
  • , Chun Yuen Kwok
  • , Paul G. Kotula
  • , Kevin R. Zavadil
  • , Andrew A. Gewirth
  • , Linda F. Nazar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-metal batteries are plagued by poor Zn reversibility owing to zinc dendrite and layered double hydroxide (LDH) formation. Here, we introduce a novel additive—N,N-dimethylformamidium trifluoromethanesulfonate (DOTf)—in a low-cost aqueous electrolyte that can very effectively address these issues. The initial water-assisted dissociation of DOTf into triflic superacid creates a robust nanostructured solid-electrolyte interface (SEI)—revealed by operando spectroscopy and cryomicroscopy—which excludes water and enables dense Zn deposition. We demonstrate excellent Zn plating/stripping in a Zn||Cu asymmetric cell for more than 3,500 cycles. Furthermore, near 100% CE is realized at a combined high current density of 4 mA cm−2 and an areal capacity of 4 mAh cm−2 over long-term cycling. Zn||Zn0.25V2O5·nH2O full cells retain ∼83% of their capacity after 1,000 cycles with mass-limited Zn anodes. By restricting the depth of discharge, the cathodes exhibit less proton intercalation and LDH formation with an extended lifetime of 2,000 cycles.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1103-1120
Number of pages18
JournalJoule
Volume6
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 18 2022

Keywords

  • SEIRAS
  • Superacid
  • XPS
  • Zn anode
  • Zn metal batteries
  • Zn-ion batteries
  • cryo-TEM

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Energy

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