De/protonation associated sustainable conversion reaction applicable to high-capacity zinc storage in mildly acidic aqueous system

We introduce an unexpected finding of the de/protonation associated conversion reaction occurred in K2V3O8 as a promising cathode material for zinc-ion batteries. The structure undergoes a conversion reaction between amorphous V5+ 2 O5 and V3+OOH upon cycling when a cut-off voltage up to 1.9 V is applied. A combination of operando X-ray diffraction, in situ Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight sec-ondary-ion mass spectroscopy, and operando pH measurement analyses reveal that the reaction of the proton (H+) is indispensable for progression of the conversion reaction. The conversion reaction results in a large reversible capacity of 362 mAh g- 1 (-97 % of theoretical capacity) at 0.1 C (37 mA g- 1) on discharge and an activity even at a rate of 7 C (187 mAh g- 1), with the two-electron reaction by the V5+/3+ redox pair evidenced by operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis. These findings underscore the importance of conversion reversibility associated with the proton reaction for a high cut-off voltage, contributing additional capacity to reach the theoretical capacity for cathode materials of zinc-ion batteries in mildly acidic aqueous systems.

Automated summary

We report an unexpected finding of de/protonation associated conversion reaction in K2V3O8 as a promising cathode material for zinc-ion batteries. Operando characterization techniques reveal the indispensable role of proton (H+) reaction for the conversion reaction. The conversion reaction exhibits large reversible capacity and activity even at high discharge rates, contributing to reaching the theoretical capacity for cathode materials of zinc-ion batteries.