Work

Stable Zinc Metal Battery Development: Using Fibrous Zirconia for Rapid Surface Conduction of Zinc Ions With Modified Water Solvation Structure

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The two most critical technical issues in Zn‐based batteries, dendrite formation, and hydrogen evolution reaction, can be simultaneously addressed by introducing negatively charged fibrous ZrO 2 as a separator. Electron redistribution between ZrO 2 and Zn 2+ ions renders the ZrO 2 surface a preferred adsorption site for Zn 2+ ions, making surface conduction the primary ion‐transport mode. Surface conduction enables fibrous ZrO 2 to exhibit a 6.54 times higher single‐Zn‐ion conductivity than that of conventional glass fiber, minimizing the concentration gradient of Zn 2+ and suppressing dendrite formation. Additionally, strong Zr─O─Zn bonding stabilizes the Zn 2+ ions with fewer solvated H 2 O molecules (≈2), preventing water molecules from approaching the electrode surface, as evidenced by a 58.8% decrease in the hydrogen evolution rate. Consequently, the cycling stability of a fibrous‐ZrO 2 ‐based Zn/Zn symmetric cell (3000 h at 1 mAh cm −2 and 5 mA cm −2 ) is approximately ten times greater than that of the conventional variant. Furthermore, a fibrous‐ZrO 2 ‐based Zn–I 2 full cell exhibits a notably high energy density (271.4 Wh kg −1 ) as well as a long lifespan (≈5000 cycles) at an ultrahigh current density (4 A g −1 ).

Source: Small

DOI: 10.1002/smll.202406481