When It's Heavier: Interfacial and Solvation Chemistry of Isotopes in Aqueous Electrolytes for Zn-ion Batteries

The electrochemical effect of isotope (EEI) of water is introduced in the Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) electrolyte to deal with the challenge of severe side reactions and massive gas production. Due to the low diffusion and strong coordination of ions in D2O, the possibility of side reactions is decreased, resulting in a broader electrochemically stable potential window, less pH change, and less zinc hydroxide sulfate (ZHS) generation during cycling. Moreover, we demonstrate that D2O eliminates the different ZHS phases generated by the change of bound water during cycling because of the consistently low local ion and molecule concentration, resulting in a stable interface between the electrode and electrolyte. The full cells with D2O-based electrolyte demonstrated more stable cycling performance which displayed similar to 100 % reversible efficiencies after 1,000 cycles with a wide voltage window of 0.8-2.0 V and 3,000 cycles with a normal voltage window of 0.8-1.9 V at a current density of 2 A g(-1).

Automated summary

The use of the isotope electrochemical effect (EEI) of water in Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) electrolyte addresses the challenges of side reactions and gas production. The low diffusion and strong coordination of ions in D2O reduce the possibility of side reactions, resulting in a broader potential window, less pH change, and less zinc hydroxide sulfate (ZHS) generation during cycling. D2O also eliminates different ZHS phases caused by changes in bound water, leading to a stable electrode-electrolyte interface. Full cells with D2O-based electrolyte demonstrate stable cycling performance with high reversible efficiencies and wide voltage windows.