Tailoring Ultrahigh Energy Density and Stable Dendrite‐Free Flexible Anode with Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Nanosheets and Hydrated Ammonium Vanadate Nanobelts for Aqueous Rocking‐Chair Zinc Ion Batteries

• Published in: Advanced functional materials 2021-08, Vol.31 (35)
• Main Authors: Wang, Xue, Wang, Yuanming, Jiang, Yunpeng, Li, Xiaolong, Liu, Yang, Xiao, Huanhao, Ma, Yu, Huang, You‐yuan, Yuan, Guohui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202103210

Exploiting Zn metal‐free anode materials would be an effective strategy to resolve the problems of Zn metal dendrites that severely hinder the development of Zn ion batteries (ZIBs). However, the study of Zn metal‐free anode materials is still in their infancy, and more importantly, the low energy density severely limits their practical implementations. Herein, a novel (NH 4 ) 2 V 10 O 25  · 8H 2 O@Ti 3 C 2 T x (NHVO@Ti 3 C 2 T x ) film anode is proposed and investigated for constructing “rocking‐chair” ZIBs. The NHVO@Ti 3 C 2 T x electrode shows a capacity of 514.7 mAh g −1 and presents low potential which is 0.59 V (vs Zn 2+ /Zn) at 0.1 A g −1 . The introduction of Ti 3 C 2 T x not only affords an interconnected conductive network, but also stabilizes the NHVO nanobelts structure for a long cycle life (84.2% retention at 5.0 A g −1 over 6000 cycles). As a proof‐of‐concept, a zinc metal‐free full battery is successfully demonstrated, which delivers the highest capacity of 131.7 mAh g −1 (mass containing anodic and cathodic) and energy density of 97.1 Wh kg −1 compared to all reported aqueous “rocking‐chair” ZIBs. Furthermore, a long cycling span of 6000 cycles is obtained with capacity retention reaching up to 92.1%, which is impressive. This work is expected to provide new moment toward V‐based materials for “rocking‐chair” ZIBs.