Unveiling the “Proton Lubricant” Chemistry in Aqueous Zinc‐MoS2 Batteries

Abstract

AbstractProton insertion chemistry in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) is becoming a research hotspot owing to its fast kinetics and additional capacities. However, H+ storage mechanism has not been deciphered in the popular MoS2‐based AZIBs. Herein, we innovatively prepared a MoS2/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (MoS2/PEDOT) hybrid, where the intercalated PEDOT not only increases the interlayer spacing (from 0.62 to 1.29 nm) and electronic conductivity of MoS2, but also activates the proton insertion chemistry. Thus, highly efficient and reversible H+/Zn2+ co‐insertion/extraction behaviors are demonstrated for the first time in aqueous Zn‐MoS2 batteries. More intriguingly, the co‐inserted protons can act as lubricants to effectively shield the electrostatic interactions between MoS2/PEDOT host and divalent Zn2+, enabling the accelerated ion‐diffusion kinetics and exceptional rate performance. This work proposes a new concept of “proton lubricant” driving Zn2+ transport and broadens the horizons of Zn‐MoS2 batteries.