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Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion (Zn-ion) batteries are widely regarded as important candidates for next-generation energy storage systems for low-cost renewable energy storage. However, the development of Zn-ion batteries is currently facing significant challenges due to uncontrollable Zn dendrite growth and severe parasitic reactions on Zn metal anodes. Herein, we report an effective strategy to improve the performance of aqueous Zn-ion batteries by leveraging the self-assembly of bovine serum albumin (BSA) into a bilayer configuration on Zn metal anodes. BSA's hydrophilic and hydrophobic fragments form unique and intelligent ion channels, which regulate the migration of Zn ions and facilitate their desolvation process, significantly diminishing parasitic reactions on Zn anodes and leading to a uniform Zn deposition along the Zn (002) plane. Notably, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell with BSA as the electrolyte additive demonstrated a stable cycling performance for up to 2400 hours at a high current density of 10 mA cm. This work demonstrates the pivotal role of self-assembled protein bilayer structures in improving the durability of Zn anodes in aqueous Zn-ion batteries.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.202409838 | DOI Listing |
J Colloid Interface Sci
September 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Electronic address:
Pre-intercalation has emerged as a highly effective strategy to enhance structural integrity and ion transport kinetics in cathodes for aqueous Zn-ion batteries. Here, we report a zinc-ion pre-intercalated hydrate vanadium oxide cathode, in which the initial insertion of Zn induces a significant expansion of the interplanar spacing, followed by contraction at higher Zn concentrations owing to strong electrostatic interactions with the VO framework. Such competing expansion and contraction of interplanar spacing enhances the overall electrochemical properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall Methods
September 2025
Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK.
The development of planar on-chip micro-batteries with high-capacity electrodes and environmentally friendly and stable architectures is critical for powering the next generation of miniaturized system-on-chip smart devices. However, realizing highly stable micro-batteries remains a major challenge due to complex fabrication processes, electrode degradation during cycling, and the uncontrolled growth of dendrites in metal-based anodes within the confined spaces between electrodes. To address these issues, this study presents an approach that incorporates a 3D porous nickel (Ni) scaffold at the metal anode, offering improved micro-anode stability compared to conventional planar zinc and 3D porous zinc (Zn) scaffolds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Mater
August 2025
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Efficient energy storage systems are crucial to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources. As multivalent batteries, Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs), while inherently low voltage, offer a promising low-cost alternative to Li-ion batteries due to the viable use of zinc as the anode. However, to maximize the potential impact of ZIBs, rechargeable cathodes with improved Zn diffusion are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
August 2025
State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Process and Technology for Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China.
Interfacial instability, particularly uncontrollable zinc deposition and water induced side reactions, severely compromises the cycling stability and lifespan of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), thereby hindering their commercialization. Herein, an in situ grown bilayer gradient hydrophobic artificial interface (ZFPB) is designed to achieve dendrite-free zinc deposition. In detail, the ion-conductive but electronically insulating ZnF outer layer facilitates the rapid migration of Zn.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Mater
August 2025
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Electronic Packaging and Advanced Functional Materials, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
Dendritic growth and parasitic reactions severely hinder aqueous Zn-ion batteries due to interfacial instability and uncontrolled charge transfer. Here, a machine learning-accelerated strategy for rational additive screening, establishing a predictive framework that links the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level to the adsorption and reduction behavior of Zn, is reported. An interpretable machine learning model (Adaptive Boosting), trained on a curated molecular dataset, achieves high accuracy (Mean Squared Error = 0.
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