High-Capacity and Long-Lifespan Aqueous LiV3O8/Zn Battery Using Zn/Li Hybrid Electrolyte

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage because of their low cost and high safety. However, their practical applications are impeded by low energy density and short service life. Here, an aqueous Zn2+/Li+ hybrid-ion battery is fabricated using the LiV3O8 nanorods as the cathode, metallic Zn as the anode, and 3 M Zn(OTf)(2) + 0.5 M LiOTf aqueous solution as the electrolyte. Compared with the batteries using pure 3 M Zn(OTf)(2) electrolyte, the cycle performance of the hybrid-ion battery is significantly improved. After 4000 cycles at 5 A g(1), the remaining capacity is 163.9 mA h g(-1) with impressive capacity retention of 87.0%. Ex-situ XRD, ex-situ XPS, and SEM tests demonstrate that the hybrid electrolyte can inhibit the formation of the irreversible Zn-3(OH)(2)V2O7 center dot 2H(2)O by-product and restrict Zn dendrite growth during cycling, thereby improving the cycle performance of the batteries.

Automated summary

The study fabricated an aqueous Zn2+/Li+ hybrid-ion battery using LiV3O8 nanorods as cathode, metallic Zn as anode, and 3M Zn(OTf)(2) + 0.5M LiOTf aqueous solution as electrolyte. The hybrid-ion battery showed significantly improved cycle performance compared to batteries using pure 3M Zn(OTf)(2) electrolyte, with an impressive capacity retention of 87.0% after 4000 cycles at 5A g(1), due to the inhibitory effect of the hybrid electrolyte on the formation of irreversible by-products and Zn dendrite growth.