Laser-Scribed Battery Electrodes for Ultrafast Zinc-Ion Energy Storage.

Aqueous Zn batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage applications but are plagued by the lack of high-performance cathode materials that enable high specific capacity, ultrafast charging, and outstanding cycling stability. In this work, we design a laser-scribed nano-vanadium oxide (LNVO) cathode that can simultaneously achieve these properties. Our material stores charge through Faradaic redox reactions on/near the surface at fast rates owing to the small grain size (2-6 nm) of vanadium oxide and interpenetrating three-dimensional (3D) graphene network, displaying a surface-controlled capacity contribution (90%-98%). Multiple characterization techniques unambiguously reveal that zinc and hydronium ions co-insert with minimal LNVO lattice change upon cycling. As a result, we demonstrate that a high specific capacity of 553 mAh g -1 can be achieved by the LNVO/Zn system at 0.1 A g -1 , and an impressive 264 mAh g -1 capacity can be retained at 100 A g -1 with a 10 s charge/discharge cycle, showing excellent rate capability. The LNVO/Zn is also capable of reaching >90% capacity retention after 3,000 cycles at a high rate of 30 A g -1 , as well as achieving both high energy (369 Wh kg -1 ) and power densities (56,306 W kg -1 ). Moreover, the LNVO cathode retains its excellent cycling performance when integrated into quasi-solid-state pouch cells, further demonstrating mechanical stability and its potential for practical application in wearable and grid-scale applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.