NH₄⁺ Deprotonation at Interfaces Induced Reversible H₃O⁺/NH₄⁺ Co-insertion/Extraction

Ion insertions always involve electrode-electrolyte interface process, desolvation for instance, which determines the electrochemical kinetics. However, it′s still a challenge to achieve fast ion insertion and investigate ion transformation at interface. Herein, the interface deprotonation of NH₄⁺ and the introduced dissociation of H₂O molecules to provide sufficient H₃O⁺ to insert into materials′ structure for fast energy storages are revealed. Lewis acidic ion-NH₄⁺ can, on one hand provide H₃O⁺ itself via deprotonation, and on the other hand hydrolyze with H₂O molecules to produce H₃O⁺. In situ attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared ray method probed the interface accumulation and deprotonation of NH₄⁺, and density functional theory calculations manifested that NH₄⁺ tend to thermodynamically adsorb on the surface of monoclinic VO₂, and deprotonate to provide H₃O⁺. In addition, the inserted NH₄⁺ has a positive effect for stabilizing the VO₂(B) structure. Therefore, high specific capacity (>300 mAh g⁻¹) and fast ionic insertion/extraction (<20 s) can be realized in VO₂(B) anode. This interface derivation proposes a new path for designing proton ion insertion/extraction in mild electrolyte. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.