Using MXene as a Chemically Induced Initiator to Construct High‐Performance Cathodes for Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024-08, Vol.63 (35), p.e202408667-n/a
• Main Authors: Chen, Jie, Liu, Yanpeng, Xiao, Baoquan, Huang, Juanjuan, Chen, Hongwei, Zhu, Kun, Zhang, Junkai, Cao, Guozhong, He, Guanjie, Ma, Jing, Peng, Shanglong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aqueous zinc-ion batteries; Capacitance; Cathodes; Electrode materials; Induced growth strategy; Initiators; MXene; MXenes; Nucleation; Oxygen defects; Performance evaluation; Polymers; Vanadium; Vanadium oxide; Vanadium oxides; Zinc
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202408667

MXene usually exhibits weak pseudo‐capacitance behavior in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries, which cannot provide sufficient reversible capacity, resulting in the decline of overall capacity when used as the cathode materials. Taking inspiration from polymer electrolyte engineering, we have conceptualized an in situ induced growth strategy based on MXene materials. Herein, 5.25 % MXene was introduced into the nucleation and growth process of vanadium oxide (HVO), providing the heterogeneous nucleation site and serving as an initiator to regulate the morphology and structural of vanadium oxide (T‐HVO). The resulted materials can significantly improve the capacity and rate performance of zinc‐ion batteries. The growth mechanism of T‐HVO was demonstrated by both characterizations and DFT simulations, and the improved performance was systematically investigated through a series of in situ experiments related to dynamic analysis steps. Finally, the evaluation and comparison of various defect introduction strategies revealed the efficient, safety, and high production output characteristics of the in situ induced growth strategy. This work proposes the concept of in situ induced growth strategy and discloses the induced chemical mechanism of MXene materials, which will aid the understanding, development, and application of cathode in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. Taking inspiration from polymer electrolyte engineering, we have developed a new in situ induced growth strategy and elaborated on its corresponding principles of induced chemistry. In the in situ growth strategy, MXene provides the heterogeneous nucleation site and can be regarded as an initiator for the induced crystal growth.