Tailoring the metal electrode morphology via electrochemical protocol optimization for long-lasting aqueous zinc batteries.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35760974.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-31461-7 and PMC identifier 9237080.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Aqueous zinc metal batteries are a viable candidate for cost-effective energy storage. However, the cycle life of the cell is adversely affected by the morphological evolution of the metal electrode surface upon prolonged cycling. Here, we investigate different electrochemical protocols to favour the formation of stable zinc metal electrode surface morphologies. By coupling electrochemical and optical microscopy measurements, we demonstrate that an initial zinc deposition on the metal electrode allows homogeneous stripping and plating processes during prolonged cycling in symmetric Zn||Zn cell. Interestingly, when an initially plated zinc metal electrode is tested in combination with a manganese dioxide-based positive electrode and a two molar zinc sulfate aqueous electrolyte solution in coin cell configuration, a specific discharge capacity of about 90 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> can be delivered after 2000 cycles at around 5.6 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> and 25 °C.