Shape-controlled growth of three-dimensional flower-like ZnO@Ag composite and its outstanding electrochemical performance for Ni-Zn secondary batteries

Stabilizing Zn anode for high-performance Zn-Ni battery through a complexing agent electrolyte addition

Zn-Ni batteries have garnered considerable attention due to their high specific energy, consistent discharge voltage, favorable performance at low temperatures, and environmentally benign nature. Nevertheless, anode interface issues such as dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and interfacial side reactions lead to poor cycling stability of Zn-Ni batteries, significantly limiting their further commercial applications. In this study, we propose a facile electrolyte engineering strategy to optimize the Zn anode interfacial environment and stabilize the Zn anode by introducing tannic acid (TA) into the KOH electrolyte. The incorporated TA complexing agent addition will be used to prevent the direct contact of H2O with the anode surface and promote the desolvation of Zn2+ through complexation, thus suppressing the interfacial corrosion. Consequently, the Zn symmetric battery using TA electrolyte cycles stably for 178 h at 1 mA cm-2. The Zn-Ni full batteries with TA electrolyte maintain 98.08 % capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 20C. This study will be of immediate benefit in commercializing large-scale, practical energy storage applications.

Inert Group-Containing Electrolyte Additive Enabling Stable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered promising energy storage devices because of their high theoretical energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the ongoing side reactions and zinc dendrite growth during cycling limit their practical application. Herein, trisodium methylglycine diacetate (Na3MGDA) additive containing the additional inert group methyl is introduced for Zn anode protection, and the contribution of methyl as an inert group to the Zn anode stability is discussed. Experimental results reveal that the methyl group with various effects enhances the interaction between the polar groups in Na3MGDA and the Zn2+/Zn anode. Thus, the polar carboxylate negative ions in MGDA anions can more easily modify the solvation structure and adsorb on the anode surface in situ to establish a hydrophobic electrical double layer (EDL) layer with steric hindrance effects. Such the EDL layer exhibits a robust selectivity for Zn deposition and a significant inhibition of parasitic reactions. Consequently, the Zn||Zn symmetric battery presents 2375 h at 1 mA cm-2, 1 mAh cm-2, and the Zn||V6O13 full battery provides 91% capacity retention after 1300 cycles at 3 A g-1. This study emphasizes the significant role of inert groups of the additive on the interfacial stability during the plating/stripping of high-performance AZIBs.

ZnO@Ag-Functionalized Paper-Based Microarray Chip for SERS Detection of Bacteria and Antibacterial and Photocatalytic Inactivation

Bacterial infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms have become a serious, widespread health concern. Thus, it is essential and required to develop a multifunctional platform that can rapidly and accurately determine bacteria and effectively inhibit or inactivate pathogens. Herein, a microarray SERS chip was successfully synthesized using novel metal/semiconductor composites (ZnO@Ag)-ZnO nanoflowers (ZnO NFs) decorated with Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) arrayed on a paper-based chip as a supporting substrate for in situ monitoring and photocatalytic inactivation of pathogenic bacteria. Typical Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Vibrio parahemolyticus were selected as models. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was performed to minimize the dimensionality of SERS spectra data sets and to develop a cost-effective identification model. The classification accuracy was 100, 97.2, and 100% for S. aureus, E. coli, and V. parahemolyticus, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of ZnO@Ag was proved by the microbroth dilution method, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of S. aureus, E. coli, and V. parahemolyticus were 40, 50, and 55 μg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, it demonstrated remarkable photocatalytic performance under natural sunlight for the inactivation of pathogenic bacteria, and the inactivation rates for S. aureus, E. coli, and V. parahemolyticus were 100, 97.03 and 97.56%, respectively. As a result, the microarray chip not only detected the bacteria with high sensitivity but also confirmed the antibacterial and photocatalytic sterilization properties. Consequently, it offers highly prospective strategies for foodborne diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria.

A new formulation of Ni/Zn bi-metallic nanocomposite and evaluation of its applications for pollution removal, photocatalytic, electrochemical sensing, and anti-breast cancer

Nanocomposites have gained attention due to their variety of applications in different fields. In this research, we have reported a green synthesis of a bi-metallic nanocomposite of nickel and zinc using an aqueous extract of Citrus sinensis in the presence of chitosan (Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan). The nanocomposite was characterized using different techniques. We have examined various applications for Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan. The NPs were manufactured in spherical morphology with a particle range size of 17.34-90.51 nm. Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan showed an acceptable ability to remove dyes of Congo red and methyl orange from an aqueous solution after 80 min furthermore, it uptaking the drug mefenamic acid from a solution. Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan also exhibited great photocatalytic activity in synthesizing benzimidazole using benzyl alcohol and o-phenylenediamine. Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan was found as a potent electrochemical sensor to determine glucose. In the molecular and cellular section of the current research, the cells with composite nanoparticles were studied by MTT way about the anti-breast adenocarcinoma potentials malignant cell lines. The IC50 of composite nanoparticles were 320, 460, 328, 500, 325, 379, 350, and 396 μg/mL concering RBA, NMU, SK-BR-3, CAMA-1, MCF7, AU565, MDA-MB-468, and Hs 281.T breast adenocarcinoma cell lines, respectively. The results revealed the newly synthesized nanocomposite is a potent photocatalyst, dye pollution removal agent, and an acceptable new drug to treat breast cancer.

Porous ZnO Nanosphere Inherently Encapsulated in Carbon Framework as a High-Performance Anode For Ni–Zn Secondary Batteries

Nickel–zinc (Ni-Zn) secondary battery that is environmentally friendly and inexpensive has been regarded as a promising rechargeable battery system. However, the generation of deformation and dendrites of the traditional zinc anode during the cycling can cause capacity degradation and impede its practical application. Herein, we design a hierarchical ZnO nanosphere coated with an inherently derived ZIF-8 porous carbon shell (ZnO@CZIF-8) using a simple controllable method. The conductive carbon shell and porous ZnO core can provide more active sites, allow the fast transfer of electrons, and buffer the volume expansion of the electrode effectively. Benefiting from the synergistic effect amid the inherently ZIF-8–derived carbon shell and ZnO core, ZnO@CZIF-8 nanospheres exhibit a satisfying capacity of 316 mAh g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 after 50 cycles and an outstanding rate capacity when acting as the anode for a Ni-Zn secondary battery with merchant agglomerative Ni(OH)2 as the cathode. These results imply that the ZnO@CZIF-8 nanosphere is a hopeful anode for a high-energy Ni-Zn secondary battery.

ZIF-derived ZnO/Sb composite scaffolded on carbon framework for Ni-Zn batteries

Ni-Zn, Zn-MnO₂, and Zn-air batteries have the advantages of inflammability, material abundance, and high specific energy. However, their applications are limited by the poor rechargeability of zinc anodes, which are related to shape changes, dendrite growth, corrosion, passivation, dissolution, etc. In this study, we developed a zeolitic-imidazolate framework (ZIF)-based route to construct a novel ZnO/Sb composite anode. The resultant zinc anode is scaffolded on carbon cloth (CC) and then encapsulated by carbonized resorcinol-formaldehyde resins. Such a carbon-framed ZnO/Sb anode shows the excellent rate and cycling properties because Sb suppresses the corrosion and improves interparticle conductivity, and the ZIF-derived carbon frame accommodates the shape changes, blocks the zinc dissolution, and accelerates the charge transfer. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of anti-corrosion and carbon-framed structure design on pouch and cable-like Ni-Zn batteries.