A Liquid Metal Microdroplets Initialized Biopolymer Composite for 3D Printing Anode Host in Zn-ion Battery.

Maintaining a steady affinity between gallium-based liquid metals (LM) and polymer binders, particularly under continuous mechanical deformation, such as extrusion-based 3D printing or Zn 2+ plating/stripping, is very challenging. Here, a LM-initialized polyacrylamide-hemicellulose/EGaIn microdroplets hydrogel is used as a multifunctional ink to 3D-print self-standing scaffolds and anode hosts for Zn-ion batteries. The LM microdroplets initiate acrylamide polymerization without additional initiators and cross-linkers, forming a double-covalent hydrogen-bonded network. The hydrogel acts as a framework for stress dissipation, enabling a recovery from structural damage due to the cyclic plating/stripping of Zn 2+ . The LM-microdroplet-initialized polymerization could facilitate the production of 3D printable inks for energy storage devices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.