Zincophilic armor: Phytate ammonium as a multifunctional additive for enhanced performance in aqueous zinc-ion batteries

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-06, Vol.489, p.151111, Article 151111
• Main Authors: Xiao, Fangyuan, Wang, Xiaoke, Sun, Kaitong, Zhao, Qian, Han, Cuiping, Li, Hai-Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anode; Effective additive; Electrolyte design; Zinc-ion battery
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.151111

[Display omitted] By introducing a minute quantity of phytate ammonium into the conventional dilute zinc sulfate electrolyte, a static physical barrier is established by the phytic anion. Simultaneously, a dynamic electrostatic shield layer collaborates, yielding superior electrochemical performance. This addition facilitates an accelerated de-solvation process, effectively suppressing the so-called “tip effect” and mitigating dendrite growth. •Developed facile and effective additives for aqueous zinc-ion batteries.•Utilized both cation and anion for a multi-functional additive.•Physical barrier and dynamic electrostatic-field shield layer enhance performance.•Realized a dual protection mechanism for high performance. Corrosion and the formation of by-products resulting from parasitic side reactions, as well as random dendrite growth, pose significant challenges for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). In this study, phytate ammonium is introduced into the traditional dilute Zinc sulfate electrolyte as a multi-functional additive. Leveraging the inherent zincophilic nature of the phytic anion, a protective layer is formed on the surface of the zinc anode. This layer can effectively manipulate the deposition process, mitigate parasitic reactions, and reduce the accumulation of detrimental by-products. Additionally, the competitive deposition between dissociated ammonium ions and Zn2+ promotes uniform deposition, thereby alleviating dendrite growth. Consequently, the modified electrolyte with a lower volume addition exhibits superior performance. The zinc symmetric battery demonstrates much more reversible plating/stripping, sustaining over 2000 h at 5 mA cm−2 and 1 mA h cm−2. A high average deposition/stripping efficiency of 99.83 % is achieved, indicating the significant boosting effect and practical potential of our strategy for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.