Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• A zincophilic carbon (ZC) layer is deposited on Zn foil at 450 °C via upstream pyrolysis of a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular framework, providing a low-temperature method for anode protection. • The ZC layer with C=O and C=N groups enables uniform Zn plating/stripping, effectively suppressing dendrite growth and side reactions. • Symmetrical cells with ZC@Zn electrodes achieve an ultra-long cycling life of 2500 h at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2, far exceeding bare Zn (180 h). • Full batteries with ZC@Zn anode and V2O5 cathode deliver a high capacity of 174 mAh g−1 after 1200 cycles at 2 A g−1, outperforming bare Zn counterparts.
Abstract
Aqueous zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) which are environmentally benign and cheap can be used for grid-scale energy storage, but have a short cycling life mainly due to the poor reversibility of zinc metal anodes in mild aqueous electrolytes. A zincophilic carbon (ZC) layer was deposited on a Zn metal foil at 450 °C by the up-stream pyrolysis of a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular substance framework, assembled from melamine (ME) and cyanuric acid (CA). The zincophilic groups (C＝O and C＝N) in the ZC layer guide uniform zinc plating/stripping and eliminate dendrites and side reactions. so that assembled symmetrical batteries (ZC@Zn//ZC@Zn) have a long-term service life of 2500 h at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2, which is much longer than that of bare Zn anodes (180 h). In addition, ZC@Zn//V2O5 full batteries have a higher capacity of 174 mAh g−1 after 1200 cycles at 2 A g−1 than a Zn//V2O5 counterpart (100 mAh g−1). The strategy developed for the low-temperature deposition of the ZC layer is a new way to construct advanced zinc metal anodes for ZMBs.
1. Introduction
In recent years, the problem of carbon emissions caused by the combusting of traditional fossil energy has become increasingly serious, exploring new energy batteries has become the current goal[1–3]. Notably, aqueous zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) are deemed as a research hotspot on grid-scale energy storage, because of the advantages of environmentally benign, intrinsic safety, good electrochemical stability, low redox potential (−0.762 V vs. SHE) and high theoretical volumetric capacity (5854 mAh cm−3)[4–12]. However, zinc metal anodes have the problem of short-circuit issue caused by piercing the separators by the uncontrolled zinc dendrites and the irregularity of the “tip effect” during the zinc position process[13–18].
In order to solve these problems, researchers have tried to improve the stability of zinc metal anode materials mainly in three aspects, namely, constructing protective layers on zinc metal anodes[19–20], building a highly conductive three-dimensional framework structure of zinc metal anodes[21], and adopting new electrolytes or separators[22–25]. Among them, constructing protective layers is a general and feasible strategy, and the ideal protective layers should have high ionic conductivity, uniform coverage and excellent electrochemical stability. To achieve the above goals, researchers have proposed various artificial interface layers on zinc metal anodes, such as zinc pyrovanadate (ZVO) as a solid Zn2+ conductor interface[26], zinc tartrate layer on the zinc metal anodes[27], a zincophilic interface made of Ag and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate[28], a nanometer-thick ZnO coating layer[29] and a fluorosilane-modified metal-organic framework layer[30]. However, these layers can not ensure an intimate interfacial connection with the zinc metal anodes and sometimes have an uneven pore distribution, which can lead layer detachment from zinc metal anodes, and the reversibility of zinc metal anodes is not satisfied. Therefore, various methods are developed to construct a stable protective layer. For example, a stable and homogeneous ZnS interfacial phase (ZnS@Zn) was in situ grown on the zinc metal foil surface by a gas-solid method, and the ZnS@Zn based symmetrical battery showed a cycling time of more than 1100 h at 2 mA cm−2 and 2 mAh cm−2, significantly longer than that of the counterpart with bare Zn electrodes (100 h) [31]. Moreover, Zhang et al. employed Zn2+ adsorbed Sb3P2O14 3− (Zn-Sb3P2O14) nanosheets as an artificial protective layer on zinc anodes by electrostatic adsorption, and such ...
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LI Chun-yu, ZHANG Ming-hui, LANG Xin-yue, CHEN Ye, DONG Yan-feng (2025). The low-temperature deposition of a zincophilic carbon layer on the Zn foil for long-life zinc metal batteries. SinoTechIntel Verified Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2025-40-01-08)
Research & Educational Purpose Only:The translations, structured abstracts, analytical annotations, and data reports provided by SinoTechIntel are intended exclusively for academic research, internal corporate R&D, and educational benchmarking. They do not constitute formal engineering, chemical safety, legal, or professional advice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main challenge in aqueous zinc metal batteries?
The main challenge is the poor reversibility of zinc metal anodes in mild aqueous electrolytes, leading to short cycling life due to dendrite growth and side reactions.
How is the zincophilic carbon layer deposited on Zn foil?
The zincophilic carbon layer is deposited at 450 °C via upstream pyrolysis of a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular framework assembled from melamine and cyanuric acid.
What are the key functional groups in the zincophilic carbon layer?
The zincophilic groups are C=O and C=N, which guide uniform zinc plating/stripping and eliminate dendrites and side reactions.
What performance improvement is achieved with the ZC@Zn anode?
Symmetrical batteries with ZC@Zn electrodes achieve a long-term service life of 2500 h at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2, compared to only 180 h for bare Zn anodes.
How does the ZC@Zn anode perform in full batteries?
ZC@Zn//V2O5 full batteries deliver a high capacity of 174 mAh g−1 after 1200 cycles at 2 A g−1, outperforming the Zn//V2O5 counterpart (100 mAh g−1).
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