Regulating Zn Ion Desolvation and Deposition Chemistry Toward Durable and Fast Rechargeable Zn Metal Batteries.

Abstract

The high Zn ion desolvation energy, sluggish Zn deposition kinetics, and top Zn plating pattern are the key challenges toward practical Zn anodes. Herein, these key issues are addressed by introducing zinc pyrovanadate (ZVO) as a solid zinc-ion conductor interface to induce smooth and fast Zn deposition underneath the layer. Electrochemical studies, computational analysis, and in situ observations reveal the boosted desolvation and deposition kinetics, and uniformity by ZVO interface. In addition, the anti-corrosion ability of Zn anodes is improved, resulting in high Zn stripping/plating reversibility. Consequently, the ZVO layer renders fast rechargeability and durable life in both Zn symmetric cells (1050h at 10mA cm-2 , 1 mAh cm-2 ) and Zn/V2 O5 batteries (79.1% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 2 A g-1 ) with low electrode polarization. This work provides insights into the design of solid zinc-ion conductor interface to enhance the interface stability and kinetics of Zn metal anodes.