N Anodes News Today

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have garnered significant interest as an important solution for large-scale energy storage due to their enhanced safety and affordability. Nevertheless, dendrites formation and side reactions faced by Zn anodes have hindered their commercial development. Electrolyte additives, among various methods to stabilize Zn anodes, have emerged as the most commercially viable technique due to their low dosage and potent effects, offering substantial economic benefits. While...

In aqueous electrolytes, the stability of the zinc anode is threatened by severe dendrite growth and the hydrogen evolution reaction. Herein, diethylene glycol (DEG) is used as an anti-solvent agent to address the abovementioned issues and boost the reversibility of the zinc anode. The DEG has a strong affinity to the Zn anode, thereby steering dominant (002)-textured zinc growth without dendrites. Multiple spectroscopic techniques, theoretical calculations, and molecular dynamics simulation hav...

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) enjoy a good reputation for being safe, affordable to produce, and ecologically friendly due to the use of water-based electrolytes. The main factors restricting the development of ZIBs, however, are the negative effects of dendrite deposition on the zinc anode and the dissolution of common cathodes such as Mn and V-based cathodes. Various techniques have been used to address these issues, including regulating the electrolyte concentration or solvation structure...

Growth of dendrites, the low plating/stripping efficiency of Zn anodes, and the high freezing point of aqueous electrolytes hinder the practical application of aqueous Zn-ion batteries. Here, a zwitterionic osmolyte-based molecular crowding electrolyte is presented, by adding betaine (Bet, a by-product from beet plant) to the aqueous electrolyte, to solve the abovementioned problems. Substantive verification tests, density functional theory calculations, and ab initio molecular dynamics simulati...

Abstract Rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries promise high capacity, low cost, high safety, and sustainability for large-scale energy storage. The Zn metal anode, however, suffers from the dendrite growth and side reactions that are mainly due to the absence of an appropriate solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. Herein, the in situ formation of a dense, stable, and highly Zn -conductive SEI layer (hopeite) in aqueous Zn chemistry is demonstrated, by introducing Zn(H PO ) salt into the el...