Reversible Zn stripping/plating achieved by surface thin Sn layer for high-performance aqueous zinc metal batteries

Aqueous zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) are considered as the most promising candidate for large-scale energy storage system due to their abundant reserves and high safety. To achieve highly stable zinc metal batteries, it is imperative to inhibit the unavoidable dendrite growth, which leads to the non-uniform zinc deposition and even makes the battery short circuit. Herein, Sn coating is loaded on copper foil (SCF) by a simple electrodeposition to guide the uniform zinc deposition, which not only lowers the zinc nucleation overpotential but also promotes the uniform zinc deposition/dissolution. As a result, the Zn plated SCF (Zn@SCF) anode presents a low voltage hysteresis of similar to 40 mV and a superior stability over 270 h in symmetric cells at a current density of 1 mA cm(-2). Furthermore, the Zn@SCF anode can realize the improved performance for full cells paired with alpha-MnO2 cathode. This work provides a simple and effective approach to modify the Zn anode for improved electrochemical performance of ZMBs. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

Sn coating loaded on copper foil is used to guide the uniform zinc deposition and improve the performance of zinc metal batteries.