Regulating Interfacial Molecular Configuration to Drive Facet‐Selective Zn Metal Deposition
Abstract
Abstract The direct use of metal anode emerges as a key strategy in advancing high‐energy‐density batteries, applicable across non‐protonic, aqueous, and solid‐state battery systems. To enhance battery durability, one effective approach involves employing interfacial molecular modification to modulate metal's facet orientation, reducing the tendency of metals to form random and loose morphologies during deposition. Herein, we propose a model to elucidate how dicarboxylic acid molecules with varying alkyl chain lengths modulate their adsorption behavior and deposition rate on zinc (Zn) surfaces, achieving facet‐selective Zn deposition. Taking glutaric acid (GA) as an example, its medium alkyl chain length allows for a “flat‐lying” adsorption configuration on Zn(002) surface, resulting in strong adsorption and Zn‐GA metal‐molecule bridging interface. This regulates Zn 2+ diffusion process and restricts its accessibility to Zn(002) facet, facilitating the selective exposure of Zn(002) facet. Due to this design, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell stably operates at a high current density of 20 mA cm −2 and a high depth of discharge of 85%. The Zn||MnO 2 pouch cell achieves a high capacity of 1.1 Ah with 90% capacity retention. This metal‐molecule interface design can be extended to other metal anodes, with the potential for tailored molecular selections to regulate the selective growth of crystal facets.
Article Details
Authors (13)
Yue Ouyang
School of Chemistry Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Nanyang Technological University 21 Nanyang Link, Nanyang Singapore 637371
Wei Zong
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, U.K.
Xuan Gao
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, U.K.
Shi Xuan Leong
School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
Jaslyn Ru Ting Chen
School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
Yuhang Dai
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, U.K.
Haobo Dong
In Yee Phang
Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Laboratory for Nano Energy Composites, School of Chemical and Material Engineering
Paul R. Shearing
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, U.K.
Guanjie He
Christopher Ingold Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K.
Yue‐E Miao
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials College of Materials Science and Engineering Donghua University Shanghai 201620 P.R. China
Tianxi Liu
Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering
Xing Yi Ling
School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore, Singapore 637371