A high-capacity Sn metal anode for aqueous acidic batteries

Aqueous acidic batteries are a good choice to respond to battery diversity, delivering safety, cost, environmental friendliness, and high-power necessary for renewable energy storage. However, the practical adoption is greatly challenged by low voltage and en-ergy density due to the inadequate metal anode materials. Here, we report an interfacial regulated Sn metal anode as the solution of the last piece of the puzzle. The ease of recycling, low potential, fast redox kinetics, and high capacity of Sn perfectly fit the battery system, and the Sn metal shedding critical issue is successfully suppressed by promoting uniform deposition for added interaction from alloying. Consequently, this reversible Sn anode with 442 mAh g-1 matches well to different types of cathodes. The as -assembled acidic batteries also demonstrate sufficient output voltage (up to 1.7 V), energy density (up to 312 Wh kg -1 based on both electrodes), kinetics (up to 24 C), and stability (up to 2,400 cycles).

Automated summary

Aqueous acidic batteries are a good choice for renewable energy storage due to their safety, cost-effectiveness, environmental-friendliness, and high power capacity. However, the low voltage and energy density caused by inadequate metal anode materials hinder their practical adoption. In this study, an interfacial regulated Sn metal anode is proposed as a solution to this problem, demonstrating the potential for uniform deposition and alloying to suppress the critical issue of Sn metal shedding. The reversible Sn anode exhibits a high capacity of 442 mAh g-1 and is compatible with different cathodes, enabling the assembly of acidic batteries with sufficient output voltage, energy density, kinetics, and stability.