ZnO Additive Boosts Charging Speed and Cycling Stability of Electrolytic Zn–Mn Batteries

Electrolytic aqueous zinc-manganese(Zn–Mn) batteries have the advantage of high discharge voltage and high capacity due to two-electron reactions. However, the pitfall of electrolytic Zn–Mn batteries is the sluggish deposition reaction kinetics of manganese oxide during the charge process and short cycle life. We show that, incorporating ZnO electrolyte additive can form a neutral and highly viscous gel-like electrolyte and render a new form of electrolytic Zn–Mn batteries with significantly improved charging capabilities. Specifically, the ZnO gel-like electrolyte activates the zinc sulfate hydroxide hydrate assisted Mn^(2+) deposition reaction and induces phase and structure change of the deposited manganese oxide(Zn_(2)Mn_(3)O_8·H_(2)O nanorods array), resulting in a significant enhancement of the charge capability and discharge efficiency. The charge capacity increases to 2.5 mAh cm^(-2) after 1 h constant-voltage charging at 2.0 V vs. Zn/Zn^(2+), and the capacity can retain for up to 2000 cycles with negligible attenuation. This research lays the foundation for the advancement of electrolytic Zn–Mn batteries with enhanced charging capability.

Efficient Catalytic Conversion of Polysulfides by Biomimetic Design of “Branch‑Leaf” Electrode for High‑Energy Sodium–Sulfur Batteries

Rechargeable room temperature sodium–sulfur(RT Na–S)batteries are seriously limited by low sulfur utilization and sluggish electrochemical reaction activity of polysulfide intermediates.Herein,a 3D“branch-leaf”biomimetic design proposed for high performance Na–S batteries,where the leaves constructed from Co nanoparticles on carbon nanofibers(CNF)are fully to expose the active sites of Co.The CNF network acts as conductive“branches”to ensure adequate electron and electrolyte supply for the Co leaves.As an effective electrocatalytic battery system,the 3D“branch-leaf”conductive network with abundant active sites and voids can effectively trap polysulfides and provide plentiful electron/ions pathways for electrochemical reaction.DFT calculation reveals that the Co nanoparticles can induce the formation of a unique Co–S–Na molecular layer on the Co surface,which can enable a fast reduction reaction of the polysulfides.Therefore,the prepared“branch-leaf”CNF-L@Co/S electrode exhibits a high initial specific capacity of 1201 mAh g^−1 at 0.1 C and superior rate performance.