“Planting” MOF nanotube on Chinese Xuan Paper derived 3D carbon paper: An efficient positive electrode for Ni-Zn battery

Application of Conductive MOF in Zinc-Based Batteries

The use of conductive MOFs (c-MOFs) in zinc-based batteries has been a popular research direction. Zinc-based batteries are widely used with the advantages of high specific capacity and safety and stability, but they also face many problems. c-MOFs have excellent conductivity compared with other primitive MOFs, and therefore have better applications in zinc-based batteries. In this paper, the transfer mechanisms of the unique charges of c-MOFs: hop transport and band transport, respectively, are discussed and the way of electron transport is further addressed. Then, the various ways to prepare c-MOFs are introduced, among which solvothermal, interfacial synthesis, and postprocessing methods are widely used. In addition, the applications of c-MOFs are discussed in terms of their role and performance in different types of zinc-based batteries. Finally, the current problems of c-MOFs and the prospects for their future development are presented.

Hierarchical Heterostructure Engineering of Layered Double Hydroxides on Nickel Sulfides Heteronanowire Arrays as Efficient Cathode for Alkaline Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Aqueous alkaline rechargeable nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn) batteries possess great potential for large-scale energy storage systems because of their high output voltage, cheap cost, and intrinsic safety. However, the practical applicability of Ni-Zn batteries has been limited by traditional Ni-based cathodes with low capacity and poor cycle stability. Rational design of electrode structure and composition is highly desired but still significantly challenging. Herein, uniform self-supported hierarchical heterostructure composites interacting NiCo-layered double hydroxide with 1D nickel sulfides heteronanowire rooted on Ni foam (NF\Ni₃ S₂ /NiS@NiCo-LDH) are successfully developed by a hydrothermal sulfurization-electrodeposition process. The self-supported 3D hierarchical heterostructured composites nanoarray provides abundant reactive sites, rapid ion diffusion channels, and fast electron transfer routes, as well as strong structural stability. More significantly, the strong interfacial charge transfer between Ni₃ S₂ /NiS heteronanowire and NiCo-LDH effectively modifies the electronic structure of the composites and thereby improving the reaction kinetics. Consequently, the NF\Ni₃ S₂ /NiS@NiCo-LDH electrode presents a superior capacity of 434.5 mAh g^-1 (1.73 mAh cm^-2 ) at 3 mA cm^-2 . In addition, the fabricated NF\Ni₃ S₂ /NiS@NiCo-LDH//Zn battery can offer a maximal energy density and power density as large as 556.3 Wh kg^-1 and 26.3 kW kg^-1 , respectively, as well as an exceptional cycling performance.