Abstract
Uncontrolled zinc electrodeposition is an obstacle to long-cycling zinc batteries. Much has been researched on regulating zinc electrodeposition, but rarely are the studies performed in the presence of a separator, as in practical cells. Here, we show that the microstructure of separators determines the electrodeposition behavior of zinc. Porous separators direct zinc to deposit into their pores and leave “dead zinc” upon stripping. In contrast, a nonporous separator prevents zinc penetration. Such a difference between the two types of separators is distinguished only if caution is taken to preserve the attachment of the separator to the zinc-deposited substrate during the entire electrodeposition–morphological observation process. Failure to adopt such a practice could lead to misinformed conclusions. Our work reveals the mere use of porous separators as a universal yet overlooked challenge for metal anode-based rechargeable batteries. Countermeasures to prevent direct exposure of the metal growth front to a porous structure are suggested.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 10446-10452 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Nano Letters |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 24 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 22 2021 |
Funding
Y.Y. acknowledges the funding support from the Cullen College Professorship. SAXS measurements were enabled by the Major Research Instrumentation Program of the National Science Foundation, under Award No. DMR-1827474. Part of this work performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is funded by Dr. Imre Gyuk, Office of Electricity, Department of Energy, USA.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | DMR-1827474 |
| U.S. Department of Energy |
Keywords
- aqueous battery
- nonporous separator
- porous separator
- zinc battery
- zinc deposition
- zinc stripping