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Dendrite suppression by anode polishing in zinc-ion batteries

Zhang, Z; Said, S; Smith, K; Zhang, YS; He, G; Jervis, R; Shearing, PR; ... Brett, DJL; + view all (2021) Dendrite suppression by anode polishing in zinc-ion batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry A , 27 (9) pp. 15355-15362. 10.1039/d1ta02682h. Green open access

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Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIB) with Zn metal anodes are promising candidates for future electrochemical energy storage devices. However, Zn dendrite growth greatly limits their practical application. Many recent studies have developed methods to hinder dendrite formation and growth, including interfacial barrier layers, alternative anode and cathode materials, new electrolyte chemistries, or complex structured separators. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the structure of the Zn foil itself. Herein, by simply polishing the Zn foil before electrochemical operation, the morphological uniformity and reversibility of the deposited Zn layer on the metal anode is significantly improved during cycling, compared to that of as-received Zn foils. By combining ex situ optical microscopy (OM) and in situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM), it is demonstrated that the initial roughness of the Zn foil electrode surface defines the subsequent plating/stripping morphology. The use of flatter foil anodes notably increases ZIB cycle life. This methodology offers a simple and industrially scalable route to wider ZIB utilisation, as well as highlighting an important consideration for future battery research.

Type: Article
Title: Dendrite suppression by anode polishing in zinc-ion batteries
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1039/d1ta02682h
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta02682h
Language: English
Additional information: © Royal Society of Chemistry 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Chemistry
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10131245
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