Toward dendrite-free and anti-corrosion Zn anodes by regulating a bismuth-based energizer
Mingming Wang,
Yahan Meng,
Ke Li,
Touqeer Ahmad,
Na Chen,
Yan Xu,
Jifei Sun,
Mingyan Chuai,
Xinhua Zheng,
Yuan Yuan,
Chunyue Shen,
Ziqi Zhang,
Wei Chen
Affiliations
Mingming Wang
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Yahan Meng
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Ke Li
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Touqeer Ahmad
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Na Chen
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Yan Xu
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Jifei Sun
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Mingyan Chuai
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Xinhua Zheng
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Yuan Yuan
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Chunyue Shen
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Ziqi Zhang
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Wei Chen
Corresponding author.; Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
Aqueous rechargeable zinc metal batteries display high theoretical capacity along with economical effectiveness, environmental benignity and high safety. However, dendritic growth and chemical corrosion at the Zn anodes limit their widespread applications. Here, we construct a Zn/Bi electrode via in-situ growth of a Bi-based energizer upon Zn metal surface using a replacement reaction. Experimental and theoretical calculations reveal that the Bi-based energizer composed of metallic Bi and ZnBi alloy contributes to Zn plating/stripping due to strong adsorption energy and fast ion transport rates. The resultant Zn/Bi electrode not only circumvents Zn dendrite growth but also improves Zn anode anti-corrosion performance. Specifically, the corrosion current of the Zn/Bi electrode is reduced by 90% compared to bare Zn. Impressively, an ultra-low overpotential of 12 mV and stable cycling for 4000 h are achieved in a Zn/Bi symmetric cell. A Zn–Cu/Bi asymmetric cell displays a cycle life of 1000 cycles, with an average Coulombic efficiency as high as 99.6%. In addition, an assembled Zn/Bi-activated carbon hybrid capacitor exhibits a stable life of more than 50,000 cycles, an energy density of 64 Wh kg−1, and a power density of 7 kW kg−1. The capacity retention rate of a Zn/Bi–MnO2 full cell is improved by over 150% compared to a Zn–MnO2 cell without the Bi-based energizer. Our findings open a new arena for the industrialization of Zn metal batteries for large-scale energy storage applications.
