Highly Reversible Zn Metal Anode with Low Voltage Hysteresis Enabled by Tannic Acid Chemistry

Advances in Electrochemical Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy for Visualizing Rechargeable Battery Reactions

This review presents an overview of the application of electrochemical liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (ELP-TEM) in visualizing rechargeable battery reactions. The technique provides atomic-scale spatial resolution and real-time temporal resolution, enabling direct observation and analysis of battery materials and processes under realistic working conditions. The review highlights key findings and insights obtained by ELP-TEM on the electrochemical reaction mechanisms and discusses the current limitations and future prospects of ELP-TEM, including improvements in spatial and temporal resolution and the expansion of the scope of materials and systems that can be studied. Furthermore, the review underscores the critical role of ELP-TEM in understanding and optimizing the design and fabrication of high-performance, long-lasting rechargeable 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.

Electrolyte Optimization Strategy: Enabling Stable and Eco-Friendly Zinc Adaptive Interfacial Layer in Zinc Ion Batteries

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have emerged as a promising battery technology due to their excellent safety, high capacity, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, the cycle life of AZIBs is limited by severe side reactions and zinc dendrite growth on the zinc electrode surface, hindering large-scale application. Here, an electrolyte optimization strategy utilizing the simplest dipeptide glycylglycine (Gly-Gly) additive is first proposed. Theoretical calculations and spectral analysis revealed that, due to the strong interaction between the amino group and Zn atoms, Gly-Gly preferentially adsorbs on zinc's surface, constructing a stable and adaptive interfacial layer that inhibits zinc side reactions and dendrite growth. Furthermore, Gly-Gly can regulate zinc ion solvation, leading to a deposition mode shift from dendritic to lamellar and limiting two-dimensional dendrite diffusion. The symmetric cell with the addition of a 20 g/L Gly-Gly additive exhibits a cycle life of up to 1100 h. Under a high current density of 10 mA cm-2, a cycle life of 750 cycles further demonstrates the reliable adaptability of the interfacial layer. This work highlights the potential of Gly-Gly as a promising solution for improving the performance of AZIBs.