In Situ Electrochemical Transformation Reaction of Ammonium-Anchored Heptavanadate Cathode for Long-Life Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising portable and large-scale grid energy storage devices, as they are safe and economical. However, developing suitable ZIB cathode materials with excellent cycling performance characteristics remains a challenging task. Here, ammonium heptavanadate (NH4)(2)V7O16 center dot 3.2H(2)O (NHVO) nanosquares with mixed-valence V5+/V4+ as a cathode are developed for high-performance ZIBs. The layered NHVO shows a capacity of 362 mA h g(-1) at 0.05 A g(-1), with a high energy density of 263.5 W h kg(-1). It exhibits an initial specific capacity of 250.7 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 4 A g(-1) and retains 255 mA h g(-1) capacity after 1000 charge/discharge cycles. The V7O16-based cathode was demonstrated with a phase transition to the V2O5-based cathode upon initial cycling. Moreover, the in situ generated V2O5-based cathodes show excellent electrochemical properties, which provide a different perspective on the electrochemical reaction of cathode materials for aqueous ZIBs.

Automated summary

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries using NHVO nanosquares as cathode material show high capacity, energy density, and excellent cycling performance, with a phase transition to V2O5-based cathodes upon initial cycling, providing new perspectives on cathode materials for ZIBs.