Design on modified glass fiber separator by graphite fluoride nanoflakes for Zn metal anodes with highly reversibility

Abstract

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered as a promising candidate for large-scale energy storage due to its superior energy density, high specific energy, environmental friendliness and low cost. However, the dendrite growth and side reaction of zinc anode severely hinder its stability and availability. Herein, commercial glass fiber separators are modified by graphite fluoride nanoflakes via vacuum filtration (denoted as GFNs-PVDF@GF) to reinforce Zn metal anode. The GFNs-PVDF@GF separator acts as an efficient ions transport modulator to homogenize Zn2+ transport and suppress SO42− flux due to strong zinc affinity and electronegativity of GFNs, thereby restraining the growth of zinc dendrite and the formation of byproducts. Accordingly, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell harvests a stable and reversible cycling for 1800 h at 1 mA cm−2 and operates at 5 mA cm−2 for over 900 h. The assembled Zn||MnO2 full cells deliver a capacity retention of 92% after 200 cycles at 1 A g−1. Our results provide a simple and effective strategy of improving stability of zinc anode for high-performance AZIBs.