Chen Yang, Li Yali, Hu Jidong, Fu Yuhan, Zhao Shoukun, Wan Guodong, Zhao Jiawei, Ma Hongyun, Fu Yujun, He Deyan, Li Junshuai
LONGi Institute of Future Technology, and School of Materials & Energy, Lanzhou University, 222 South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Small. 2025 Jul;21(30):e2504131. doi: 10.1002/smll.202504131. Epub 2025 May 26.
Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered a promising candidate for large-scale energy storage application owing to their high capacity, good safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, the presence of active water leads to issues such as corrosion, dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reaction on Zn metal anodes, severely limiting the cycle lifetime and reversibility of AZIBs. To address these challenges, this study introduces a simple drop-casting method to deposit a composite protective coating of 2D titanium carbide (TiCT) MXene and polyethyleneimine (PEI) on the surface of Zn foil, i.e., MXene/PEI@Zn. The MXene/PEI composite coating contains polar groups such as -OH that can regulate Zn deposition. Additionally, these groups prevent active water from directly contacting the Zn metal surface. The results show that the MXene/PEI@Zn anodes can cycle for over 2600 and 1100 h at the corresponding current density of 1 and 5 mA cm (Areal capacity: 1 mAh cm). When paired with a VO·1.6HO cathode, it contributes to the evidently improved full-cell performance with 85% capacity retention after 4800 cycles at 5 A g. This work provides new insights into the practical design of highly reversible Zn metal anodes.
水系锌离子电池（AZIBs）因其高容量、良好的安全性、低成本和环境友好性，被认为是大规模储能应用的一个有前景的候选者。然而，活性水的存在会导致诸如锌金属阳极上的腐蚀、枝晶生长和析氢反应等问题，严重限制了水系锌离子电池的循环寿命和可逆性。为应对这些挑战，本研究引入了一种简单的滴铸法，在锌箔表面沉积二维碳化钛（TiCT）MXene和聚乙烯亚胺（PEI）的复合保护涂层，即MXene/PEI@Zn。MXene/PEI复合涂层含有能调节锌沉积的极性基团，如-OH。此外，这些基团可防止活性水直接接触锌金属表面。结果表明，MXene/PEI@Zn阳极在相应的1和5 mA cm电流密度下（面积容量：1 mAh cm）可循环超过2600小时和1100小时。当与VO·1.6HO阴极配对时，在5 A g下循环4800次后，全电池性能明显改善，容量保持率达85%。这项工作为高可逆性锌金属阳极的实际设计提供了新的见解。
