Ultrafast Super-filling Construction of Metal Artificial Interface for Long-term Stable Zinc Anode.
Qiyang JiaoXingwu ZhaiZhixin SunWenjie WangShihao LiuHui DingWangsheng ChuMin ZhouChangzheng WuPublished in: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) (2023)
Zinc (Zn) metal anodes are promising candidates for large-scale, highly safe energy storage systems. However, their cycling life is associated with instability issues such as dendritic growth, corrosion, and hydrogen evolution. Introducing an artificial metal interface is expected to help overcome this challenge owing to the optimisation of the absorption, nucleation, and growth of Zn 2+ . In this study, w e developed an ultrafast, universal, and cost-effective super-filling approach to construct a metal-artificial interface-decorated Zn anode in situ. Most zincophilic metals, including Sn, Cu, and Ag, can be used to construct a homogenous interface without any restrictions on the size, morphology, or curvature of the substrates. With Sn as a proof-of-concept demonstration, the as-obtained Sn@Zn anode is conducive for the homogenous Zn nuclei and two-dimensional (2D) diffusion of Zn 2+ ions. Symmetric cells with Sn@Zn electrodes could be operated for over 900 h at different current densities. This superior performance contributed to the attractive electrochemical characteristics of both coin and scaled-up Sn@Zn//β-MnO 2 cells. Given the facile and cost-effective fabrication and recyclability of the cells, o ur work enables the efficient design and exploration of Zn anodes for research, industrialisation, and commercialisation purposes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.