A nanofibrillated cellulose/Al(OH)/polytetrafluoroethylene hybrid protective layer enabling dendrite free Zn anodes for rechargeable aqueous batteries

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2024-01, Vol.12 (5), p.282-2829
• Main Authors: Shayan, Mohammad, Abouzeid, Ragab, Xu, Wangwang, Wu, Tongyao, Wu, Qinglin
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ta05655d

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are considered as promising options for energy storage devices due to their high safety and abundant resources. However, Zn dendrites and short circuits pose a significant challenge. To address these issues, a hybrid protective membrane of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC)/Al(OH) 3 /polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was fabricated and coated on the surface of a zinc metal anode. The in situ formation of Al(OH) 3 nanoparticles created nano-pores inside the dense NFC network, while the addition of PTFE improved the adhesion of the protective membrane to the surface of zinc metal. The NFC/Al(OH) 3 /PTFE coating layer restricted the access of active water and anions to the electrode/electrolyte interface by dehydrating zinc ions, thus preventing water and anion-induced corrosion. With the NFC/Al(OH) 3 /PTFE coating layer, zinc symmetric batteries exhibited significantly improved cycling performance with highly stabilized charge/discharge profiles, outperforming bare zinc symmetric batteries. Furthermore, full vanadium dioxide (VO 2 )||NFC/Al(OH) 3 /PTFE@Zn batteries demonstrated a high initial specific capacity of 406.2 mA h g −1 at 2 A g −1 and excellent cycling stability with a 94% retention of initial capacity after 300 cycles, and 72% after 3300 cycles, making them practical for energy storage applications. A full cell zinc-ion battery using a zinc anode with a NFC/Al(OH) 3 /PTFE protective layer.