Integrated Solution for a Stable and High-Performance Zinc-Ion Battery Using an Electrolyte Additive

Abstract

Owing to their excellent safety, high capacity, eco-friendliness, and low cost, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) consisting of Zn anode and vanadium pentoxide cathode are considered as an attractive candidate for large-scale energy storage systems. However, the non-uniform dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution at the anode, as well as metal-ion dissolution at the cathode, caused by the utilization of acid electrolytes limit the capacity and cycle life of ZIBs. To address this, this study demonstrated the use of a stable and high-performance active material as the anode/cathode and vanadium (IV) oxide sulfate (VOSO4) as an electrolyte additive to fabricate high-energy performance ZIBs via a one-step process. The self-assembled passive layer on the anode surface enabled improved ion diffusion kinetics; thus, the ZIB exhibited increased capacity (876 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1) and rate capability (420 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1). In addition, the inhibition of vanadium dissolution at the cathode extended the cycling performance of the battery for up to 200 cycles with a capacity retention of 83% . This strategy is a facile and feasible method to address the anode and cathode issues of ZIBs, thus providing new opportunities for the realization of stable and high-performance ZIBs.

Keywords: aqueous zinc-ion batteries, electrolyte additive, passive layer, vanadium dissolution