Open AccessReversible aqueous Zn battery anode enabled by a stable complexation adsorbent interface
Author(s) -
Ou Yangtao,
Cai Zhao,
Wang Jindi,
Zhan Renming,
Liu Shiyu,
Lu Ziheng,
Sun Yongming
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
ecomat
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2567-3173
DOI - 10.1002/eom2.12167
Subject(s) - adsorption , aqueous solution , anode , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , electrolyte , chemical engineering , metal , molecule , electrode , materials science , organic chemistry , engineering
Rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries (RAZBs) are highly promising for grid‐scale energy storage systems. Nevertheless, strong water molecule adsorption on Zn electrode provokes undesired corrosion reactions and electrode polarization/dendrite growth, restricting the reversibility of Zn anode and the commercialization of RAZBs. Herein, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), a typical compounding ingredient, was applied in aqueous ZnSO 4 electrolyte to replace the adsorbed water molecules on Zn surface and enabled a stable complexation adsorbent interface. The chemically adsorbed EDTA layer reduced the direct contact between H 2 O molecules and metallic Zn, and reduced the corrosion rate to more than a half. Moreover, such adsorbent interface featuring abundant oxygen/nitrogen‐based functional groups regulated Zn deposition kinetics and promoted the uniform Zn plating. As consequence, the stable complexation adsorbent interface enabled highly‐reversible Zn stripping/plating behavior for 5000 h under a harsh dynamic measurement that combining eletrochemical cycling at 1 mA cm −2 and 0.5 mAh cm −2 for 72 h and resting for 24 h. The effectiveness of such complexation adsorbent interface was also verified in MnO 2 ||Zn full cells. The complexation interface chemistry demonstrated in this study opened up new avenues for the design of low‐cost and highly reversible Zn metal electrodes towards next‐generation RAZBs.