Stimulating the potential of Zn anode to operate in low pH and harsh environments for highly sustainable Zn batteries

Hang Yang; Li Li; Duo Chen; Jingyi Wang; Yicheng Tan; Zhenjing Jiang; Yiming Zhang; Chenglin Miao; Wei Zhang; Wei Han; Guanjie He

doi:10.1002/anie.202419394

Stimulating the potential of Zn anode to operate in low pH and harsh environments for highly sustainable Zn batteries

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2024 Dec 10:e202419394. doi: 10.1002/anie.202419394. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hang Yang¹, Li Li², Duo Chen³, Jingyi Wang⁴, Yicheng Tan², Zhenjing Jiang⁴, Yiming Zhang⁵, Chenglin Miao², Wei Zhang⁴, Wei Han², Guanjie He⁶

Affiliations

¹ UCL: University College London, Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Building|20 Gordon Street, London, London, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND.
² Jilin University, College of Physics, CHINA.
³ NUAA: Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, College of Materials Science and Technology, CHINA.
⁴ UCL: University College London, Department of Chemistry, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND.
⁵ UCL: University College London, Department of Chemistry, CHINA.
⁶ University College London, Chemistry, Department of Chemistry - University College London - 20 Gordon Street - London, WC1H 0AJ, London, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND.

PMID: 39658505
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202419394

Abstract

Compared to near-neutral electrolytes (pH = 3-6), Zn||Mn batteries in acidic environments can achieve voltages up to ~2 V. However, high proton concentrations raise concerns about Zn anode stability. Current strategies for inhibiting hydrogen evolution corrosion (HEC) on the anode in Zn-based batteries mainly focus on the near-neutral electrolytes. To supplement this gap, we developed a conversion-type interphase strategy using phosphate, sulfate precipitation, and phytic acid modification layers for Zn anodes to demonstrate the potential of Zn anode to operate in acidic electrolytes. This approach enables stable Zn stripping/plating at pH = 2.2 for over 3,600 h and 400 h at 1 mA cm-2/0.5 mAh cm-2 and 20 mA cm-2/10 mAh cm-2. Benefiting from stable Zn electrodes, the electrolytic Zn||Mn batteries can operate at 1.90 V. To show more harsh scenarios, the seawater-based 0.25 Ah-scale Zn||Mn pouch cells can be assembled with a practical energy density of 57.4 Wh kg-1 cell. Significantly, we analyze and emphasize that seawater holds promise as an alternative to deionized water for electrolyte solvents due to its energy and economic effectiveness. This strategy has motivated to expand the working pH range of metal anodes and provides the rational design for grid-scale energy storage technologies.

Keywords: aqueous battery, Zn-Mn battery, seawater electrolyte, high-energy density Zn battery.