Chloride electrolyte enabled practical zinc metal battery with a near-unity Coulombic efficiency

Jiang, Heng; Tang, Longteng; Fu, Yanke; Wang, Shitong; Sandstrom, Sean K.; Scida, Alexis M.; Li, Guoxing; Hoang, David; Hong, Jessica J.; Chiu, Nan-Chieh; Stylianou, Kyriakos C.; Stickle, William F.; Wang, Donghai; Li, Ju; Greaney, P. Alex; Fang, Chong; Ji, Xiulei

doi:10.1038/s41893-023-01092-x

Chloride electrolyte enabled practical zinc metal battery with a near-unity Coulombic efficiency

Journal Article · Thu Mar 23 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Nature Sustainability

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01092-x· OSTI ID:2345155

Jiang, Heng ^[1]; ^[2]; Fu, Yanke ^[3]; Wang, Shitong ^[4]; ^[2]; Scida, Alexis M. ^[2]; Li, Guoxing ^[5]; Hoang, David ^[2]; Hong, Jessica J. ^[2]; Chiu, Nan-Chieh ^[2]; ^[2]; ^[6]; ^[5]; ^[4]; ^[3]; ^[2]; ^[7]

Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States); GROTTHUSS INC., Corvallis, OR (United States); Northwestern University
Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Hewlett Packard Co., Corvallis, OR (United States)
Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States); GROTTHUSS INC., Corvallis, OR (United States)

Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries are finding their niche in stationary storage applications where safety, cost, scalability and carbon footprint matter most. However, harnessing this reversible two-electron redox chemistry is plagued by major technical issues, notably hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the zinc surface, whose impacts are often not revealed under typical measurement conditions. Here we report a concentrated electrolyte design that eliminates this parasitic reaction and enables a Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.95% for Zn plating/stripping measured at a low current density of 0.2 mA cm^-2. With extra chloride salts and dimethyl carbonate in concentrated ZnCl₂ electrolyte, the hybrid electrolyte with a unique chemical environment features low Hammett acidity and facilitates the in situ formation of a dual-layered solid electrolyte interphase, protecting zinc anodes from HER and dendrite growth. Benefiting from the near-unity CE, the pouch cell with a VOPO₄·2H₂O cathode sustains 500 deep cycles without swelling or leaking and delivers an energy density of 100 Wh kg^-1 under practical conditions. Finally, our work represents a critical step forward in accelerating the market adoption of zinc batteries as an energy storage system with higher sustainability.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences (HEISs)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0023450

OSTI ID:: 2345155

Journal Information:: Nature Sustainability, Journal Name: Nature Sustainability Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 6; ISSN 2398-9629

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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