Hydrogen-bonding crosslinking MXene to highly mechanically stable and super-zincophilic host for stable Zn metal anode

Abstract

Aqueous Zn metal battery is a promising energy storage system, but suffer the performance degenerating and safety risk stems from infinite volume change and notorious dendrite problem of Zn metal anode. Herein, a hydrogen-bonding crosslinking MXene aerogels with remarkable mechanical stability and zincophilic properties is developed for stabilizing the Zn metal anode. The 3D hydrogen bond cross-linked MXene scaffold (h-MXene) can against mechanical strain of long-term Zn plating and stripping. The zincophilic architecture with high conductivity and hierarchical porosity further largely reduces the potential polarization and guides uniform Zn deposition. Uptaking Zn metal into 3D h-MXene scaffold leads to a stable Zn metal anode with an ultra-long lifespan of 5000 cycles at an ultra-high current density (40 mA cm−2) in symmetrical batteries. When coupled with a MnO2 cathode, the assembled Zn@h-MXene-based full cell delivers an enhanced rate capability (1000 mA g−1) and cycling stability (>2000 cycles), demonstrating the potential of mechanically robust MXene-Based host for advanced Zn-metal batteries.