Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (1): 100003.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB202309003

Special Issue: Energy Chemistry

• ARTICLE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

High-Stable Aqueous Zinc Metal Anodes Enabled by an Oriented ZnQ Zeolite Protective Layer with Facile Ion Migration Kinetics

Shanghua Li1,2, Malin Li1,*(), Xiwen Chi1,2, Xin Yin1, Zhaodi Luo1, Jihong Yu1,2,*()   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
    2 International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
  • Received:2023-09-01 Revised:2023-09-25 Accepted:2023-10-09 Published:2023-12-20
  • Contact: Email: jihong@jlu.edu.cn (Jihong Yu)malinl@jlu.edu.cn (Malin Li)
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22288101); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21920102005); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21835002); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22109050); the 111 Project(B17020)

Abstract:

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are regarded as one of the most promising energy storage systems due to their reliable safety, low cost, high volumetric capacity, and environmental friendliness. However, the utilization of Zn metal anode in aqueous electrolyte commonly encounters complex water-induced side reactions and uncontrollable dendrite growth issues. Constructing a protective layer on the surface of Zn anode is an effective strategy to alleviate side reactions and dendrite growth, achieving the stable operation of ZIBs with prolonged cycling life. However, the utilization of protective layers will increase interfacial resistance and result in high polarization in most cases. Thus, developing a desirable artificial protective layer with high ion migration kinetics is a significant task, enabling a fast Zn2+ ion flux for homogeneous deposition with low polarization. Considering that porous aluminosilicate zeolite with a low Si/Al ratio can accommodate abundant framework-associated cations as charge carriers for conduction, herein, we prepared an oriented protective layer on the Zn anode using Zn-ion-exchanged Q zeolite with BPH topology (ZnQ@Zn), achieving a stable Zn anode with high ion migration kinetics. The ZnQ zeolite plates parallelly lay on the surface of Zn foil with the c axis normal to the substrate plane. The three-dimensional ordered channels and the oriented arrangement of ZnQ zeolite plates provide facile ion migration pathways for Zn2+ ions, and the coordination of framework-associated Zn2+ ions with water in zeolite channels also enables fast ion conduction kinetics and high corrosion resistance. Therefore, ZnQ@Zn exhibits enhanced ion conduction kinetics with reduced energy barriers for desolvation, charge transfer, and diffusion processes, resulting in a uniform ion flux to suppress dendrite growth. Consequently, the ZnQ@Zn symmetric cell displays an ultra-low voltage hysteresis of 27 mV with a long lifespan of over 1100 h at 1 mA∙cm−2 and 1 mAh∙cm−2. Moreover, the ZnQ@Zn//NaV3O8·1.5H2O full cell delivers a superior long-term cycling performance with a high capacity retention of 96% after 1800 cycles at 8 A∙g−1. This work provides a new sight for constructing protective layers with fast ion migration kinetics to achieve high-stable Zn anodes, and extends the application of zeolite-based ion-conductive materials in energy storage devices.

Key words: Aqueous zinc ion battery, Zn metal anode, Protective layer, ZnQ zeolite, Ion migration kinetics