Fan Yulong, Yao Xinyi, Wang Guoxin, Xie Yingying, Wu Tianli, Zhou Naigen, Wei Yen, Qu Guoxing
School of Physics and Materials Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330031, China.
Henan Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Quantum Energy, School of Future Technology, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China.
Small. 2025 Mar;21(10):e2408930. doi: 10.1002/smll.202408930. Epub 2025 Jan 16.
As emerging cutting-edge energy storage technologies, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered extensive research attention for its high safety, low cost, abundant raw materials, and, eco-friendliness. Nevertheless, the commercialization of AZIBs is mainly limited by insufficient development of cathode materials. Among potential candidates, MXene-based materials stand out as a promising option for their unique combination of hydrophilicity and conductivity. However, the low Zn kinetics, structural instability, and narrow interlayer spacing of MXenes hinder its practical application. Comprehensively addressing these issues remains a challenge. Herein, different ion pre-embedded VCT MXenes are constructed to tune interlayer spacing, with findings showing NH pre-intercalation is more effective. To accelerate kinetics, it is proposed for the first time a zinc-philic engineering that can effectively reduce Zn migration energy barrier, achieved by decorating the NH -intercalated VCT (NH-VCT) with ZnO nanoparticles. Various analyses and theoretical calculations prove there is a strong coupling effect between ZnO and VCT, which notably boosts reaction kinetics and structural stability. The ZnO-decorated NH-VCT exhibits a high reversible capacity of 256.58 mAh g at 0.1 A g and excellent rate capability (173.07 mAh g at 2 A g). This study pioneers a zinc-philic engineering strategy for the modification of cathode materials in AZIBs.
作为新兴的前沿储能技术，水系锌离子电池（AZIBs）因其高安全性、低成本、原材料丰富和环境友好性而受到广泛的研究关注。然而，AZIBs的商业化主要受到正极材料发展不足的限制。在潜在的候选材料中，基于MXene的材料因其亲水性和导电性的独特组合而脱颖而出，成为一种有前途的选择。然而，MXenes的低锌动力学、结构不稳定性和狭窄的层间距阻碍了其实际应用。全面解决这些问题仍然是一个挑战。在此，构建了不同的离子预嵌入VCT MXenes来调节层间距，结果表明NH预嵌入更有效。为了加速动力学，首次提出了一种亲锌工程，通过用ZnO纳米颗粒修饰NH嵌入的VCT（NH-VCT），可以有效降低锌迁移能垒。各种分析和理论计算证明，ZnO和VCT之间存在强耦合效应，这显著提高了反应动力学和结构稳定性。ZnO修饰的NH-VCT在0.1 A g时表现出256.58 mAh g的高可逆容量和优异的倍率性能（在2 A g时为173.07 mAh g）。本研究开创了一种用于修饰AZIBs正极材料的亲锌工程策略。
