An ultralow-temperature aqueous zinc-ion battery. Issue 11 (22nd February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sun, Tianjiang; Yuan, Xuming; Wang, Ke; Zheng, Shibing; Shi, Jinqing; Zhang, Qiu; Cai, Wensheng; Liang, Jing; Tao, Zhanliang
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 9:Issue 11(2021)
• Page Start: 7042
• Page End: 7047
• Publication Date: 2021-02-22
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d0ta12409e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7488

Abstract

Abstract : A low-temperature aqueous zinc-ion battery is developed based on 4 M Zn(BF4 )2 electrolyte with a low freezing point of −122 °C. The constructed Zn//TCBQ battery can be operated even at −95 °C and achieves a high discharge capacity of 63.5 mA h g −1 . Abstract : The freezing of aqueous electrolytes severely limits the operation of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) in low-temperature conditions owing to the terrible ion conductivity and interface kinetics. Here, a 4 M Zn(BF4 )2 electrolyte with a low freezing point (−122 °C) and high ion conductivity (1.47 mS cm −1 at −70 °C) is developed for AZIBs. Comprehensive analyses, including spectroscopic measurement and theoretical calculation, demonstrate that introducing BF4 − anions can break the hydrogen-bond networks in original water molecules by the formation of OH⋯F hydrogen bonds, resulting in an ultralow freezing point. The 4 M Zn(BF4 )2 -based electrolyte enables the Zn//tetrachlorobenzoquinone (TCBQ) battery to exhibit excellent electrochemical performance in the wide temperature range of 25 to −95 °C, achieving a high discharge capacity of 63.5 mA h g −1 and energy density of 76.2 W h kg −1 at a record-breaking temperature of −95 °C. This work provides a simple and green strategy to design high-performance AZIBs at low-temperature conditions.