Iron ion batteries using Fe2+as a charge carrier have yet to be widely explored, and they lack high‐performing Fe2+hosting cathode materials to couple with the iron metal anode. Here, it is demonstrated that VOPO4∙2H2O can reversibly host Fe2+with a high specific capacity of 100 mAh g−1and stable cycling performance, where 68% of the initial capacity is retained over 800 cycles. In sharp contrast, VOPO4∙2H2O's capacity of hosting Zn2+fades precipitously over tens of cycles. VOPO4∙2H2O stores Fe2+with a unique mechanism, where upon contacting the electrolyte by the VOPO4∙2H2O electrode, Fe2+ions from the electrolyte get oxidized to Fe3+ions that are inserted and trapped in the VOPO4∙2H2O structure in an electroless redox reaction. The trapped Fe3+ions, thus, bolt the layered structure of VOPO4∙2H2O, which prevents it from dissolution into the electrolyte during (de)insertion of Fe2+. The findings offer a new strategy to use a redox‐active ion charge carrier to stabilize the layered electrode materials.
Enhanced Reversible Zinc Ion Intercalation in Deficient Ammonium Vanadate for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery
Abstract Ammonium vanadate with bronze structure (NH 4 V 4 O 10 ) is a promising cathode material for zinc-ion batteries due to its high specific capacity and low cost. However, the extraction of $${\text{NH}}_{{4}}^{ + }$$ NH 4 + at a high voltage during charge/discharge processes leads to irreversible reaction and structure degradation. In this work, partial $${\text{NH}}_{{4}}^{ + }$$ NH 4 + ions were pre-removed from NH 4 V 4 O 10 through heat treatment; NH 4 V 4 O 10 nanosheets were directly grown on carbon cloth through hydrothermal method. Deficient NH 4 V 4 O 10 (denoted as NVO), with enlarged interlayer spacing, facilitated fast zinc ions transport and high storage capacity and ensured the highly reversible electrochemical reaction and the good stability of layered structure. The NVO nanosheets delivered a high specific capacity of 457 mAh g −1 at a current density of 100 mA g −1 and a capacity retention of 81% over 1000 cycles at 2 A g −1 . The initial Coulombic efficiency of NVO could reach up to 97% compared to 85% of NH 4 V 4 O 10 and maintain almost 100% during cycling, indicating the high reaction reversibility in NVO electrode.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1803256
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10301641
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nano-Micro Letters
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2311-6706
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Hydrated vanadium pentoxide (VOH) can deliver a gravimetric capacity as high as 400 mA h g −1 owing to the variable valence states of the V cation from 5+ to 3+ in an aqueous zinc ion battery. The incorporation of divalent transition metal cations has been demonstrated to overcome the structural instability, sluggish kinetics, fast capacity degradation, and serious polarization. The current study reveals that the catalytic effects of transition metal cations are probably the key to the significantly improved electrochemical properties and battery performance because of the higher covalent character of 55% in the Cu–O bond in comparison with 32% in the Mg–O bond in the respective samples. Cu( ii ) pre-inserted VOH (CuVOH) possesses a significantly enhanced intercalation storage capacity, an increased discharge voltage, great transport properties, and reduced polarization, while both VOH and Mg( ii ) pre-inserted VOH (MgVOH) demonstrate similar electrochemical properties and performances, indicating that the incorporation of Mg cations has little or no impact. For example, CuVOH has a redox voltage gap of 0.02 V, much smaller than 0.25 V for VOH and 0.27 V for MgVOH. CuVOH shows an enhanced exchange current density of 0.23 A g −1 , compared to 0.20 A g −1 for VOH and 0.19 A g −1 for MgVOH. CuVOH delivers a zinc ion storage capacity of 379 mA h g −1 , higher than 349 mA h g −1 for MgVOH and 337 mA h g −1 for VOH at 0.5 A g −1 . CuVOH shows an energy efficiency of 72%, superior to 53% for VOH and 55% for MgVOH. All of the results suggest that pre-inserted Cu( ii ) cations played a critical role in catalyzing the zinc ion intercalation reaction, while the Mg( ii ) cations did not exert a detectable catalytic effect.more » « less
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Abstract In this work, a functional covalent gel material is developed to resolve the severe dendritic growth and hydrogen evolution reaction toward Zn/electrolyte interface in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs). A covalent gel layer with superior durability forms homogeneously on the surface of Zn foil. The covalent gel with triazole functional groups can uniformize the transport of Zn2+due to the interactions between Zn2+ions and the triazole groups in the covalent gel. As a consequence, the symmetrical battery with triazole covalent gel maintains stable Zn plating/stripping for over 3000 h at 1 mA cm−2and 1 mAh cm−2, and the full cell combined with a V2O5cathode operates steadily and continuously for at least 1800 cycles at 5 A g−1with a capacity retention rate of 67.0%. This work provides a train of thought to develop stable covalent gels for the protection of zinc anode toward high‐performance ZIBs.
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Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are emerging as a highly promising alternative technology for grid-scale applications where high safety, environmental-friendliness, and high specific capacities are needed. It remains a significant challenge, however, to develop a cathode with a high rate capability and long-term cycling stability. Here, we demonstrate diffusion-controlled behavior in the intercalation of zinc ions into highly porous, Mn 4+ -rich, and low-band-gap Ni x Mn 3−x O 4 nano-particles with a carbon matrix formed in situ (with the composite denoted as Ni x Mn 3−x O 4 @C, x = 1), which exhibits superior rate capability (139.7 and 98.5 mA h g −1 at 50 and 1200 mA g −1 , respectively) and outstanding cycling stability (128.8 mA h g −1 remaining at 400 mA g −1 after 850 cycles). Based on the obtained experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, cation-site Ni substitution combined with a sufficient doping concentration can decrease the band gap and effectively improve the electronic conductivity in the crystal. Furthermore, the amorphous carbon shell and highly porous Mn 4+ -rich structure lead to fast electron transport and short Zn 2+ diffusion paths in a mild aqueous electrolyte. This study provides an example of a technique to optimize cathode materials for high-performance rechargeable ZIBs and design advanced intercalation-type materials for other energy storage devices.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-021-00641-3
