Dendrite-free Zn anode with dual channel 3D porous frameworks for rechargeable Zn batteries

Abstract

Rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries are highly promising for grid-scale energy storage due to the high safety and low cost; whereas, they also suffer from the limited reversibility and dendrite growth of metallic Zn electrode during plating/stripping processes. In this work, we develop a 3D nanoporous Zn anode for dendrite-free Zn plating/stripping with significantly suppressed undesirable side reactions. The continuously connected dual-channels for electron/ion transfers and improved effective solid-electrolyte interfaces also endow the anode with promoted fast kinetics. These merits are confirmed by the significantly elongated plating/stripping cycles (1400 ​h under 0.1 ​mAh cm−2 and 200 ​h under 10 ​mAh cm−2) and lowered overpotentials in symmetric cells. Our strategy, comparing with bulk Zn foil anode, also brings largely improved performances to Zn–V2O5 cells using V2O5 cathode, with achieved high energy density 333.8 ​Wh kg−1, power density 3762.4 ​W ​kg−1, and stable cycling for 500 cycles. These results demonstrate the potential of our approach to addressing the reversibility and dendrite issues of rechargeable metal electrodes.