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Proton-selective coating enables fast-kinetics high-mass-loading cathodes for sustainable zinc batteries

Nature Communications, vol. 15, pp. 2139

Abstract

Abstract The pressing demand for sustainable energy storage solutions has spurred the burgeoning development of aqueous zinc batteries. However, kinetics-sluggish Zn2+ as the dominant charge carriers in cathodes leads to suboptimal charge-storage capacity and durability of aqueous zinc batteries. Here, we discover that an ultrathin two-dimensional polyimine membrane, featured by dual ion-transport nanochannels and rich proton-conduction groups, facilitates rapid and selective proton passing. Subsequently, a distinctive electrochemistry transition shifting from sluggish Zn2+-dominated to fast-kinetics H+-dominated Faradic reactions is achieved for high-mass-loading cathodes by using the polyimine membrane as an interfacial coating. Notably, the NaV3O8·1.5H2O cathode (10 mg cm−2) with this interfacial coating exhibits an ultrahigh areal capacity of 4.5 mAh cm−2 and a state-of-the-art energy density of 33.8 Wh m−2, along with apparently enhanced cycling stability. Additionally, we showcase the applicability of the interfacial proton-selective coating to different cathodes and aqueous electrolytes, validating its universality for developing reliable aqueous batteries.

Authors 20

  1. Sichuan University · Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics · State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering · Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale), Germany

    State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

  2. State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry · Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Lanzhou University · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, PR China

  3. Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics · Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale), Germany

  4. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  5. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  6. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  7. Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems

    Affiliation as printed

    Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and System (IKTS), Maria-Reiche-Straße 2, Dresden, Germany

  8. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  9. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  10. Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  11. Pohang University of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea

  12. Pohang University of Science and Technology

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea

  13. Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics · Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale), Germany

  14. Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems

    Affiliation as printed

    Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and System (IKTS), Maria-Reiche-Straße 2, Dresden, Germany

  15. University of Science and Technology of China

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

  16. Sichuan University · State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering

    Affiliation as printed

    State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

  17. Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, Leiden, The Netherlands

  18. Yonsei University · Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seodaemun-gu Seoul, Korea

    Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Leipzig Research Branch, Leipzig, Germany

    Theoretical Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  19. Minghao Yu corresponding

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. minghao.yu@tu-dresden.de

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

  20. Xinliang Feng corresponding

    Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics · Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden · Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) & Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. xinliang.feng@tu-dresden.de

    Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale), Germany. xinliang.feng@tu-dresden.de

    Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale), Germany

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References 54