Supramolecular Crystals based Fast Single Ion Conductor for Long-Cycling Solid Zinc Batteries

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Original languageEnglish
Article numbere202406683
Journal / PublicationAngewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume63
Issue number52
Online published4 Nov 2024
Publication statusPublished - 20 Dec 2024

Abstract

The solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) used in Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have low ionic conductivity due to the sluggish dynamics of polymer segments. Thus, only short-range movement of cations is supported, leading to low ionic conductivity and Zn2+ transference (tZn2+). Zn-based supramolecular crystals (ZMCs) have considerable potential for supporting long-distance Zn2+ transport; however, their efficiency in ZIBs has not been explored. The present study developed a ZMC consisting of succinonitrile (SN) and zinc bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (Zn(TFSI)2), with a structural formula identified as Zn(TFSI)2SN3. The ZMC has ordered three-dimensional tunnels in the crystalline lattices for ion conduction, providing high ionic conductivities (6.02×10−4 S cm−1 at 25 °C and 3.26×10−5 S cm−1 at −35 °C) and a high tZn2+ (0.97). We demonstrated that a Zn‖Zn symmetrical battery with ZMCs has long-term cycling stability (1200 h) and a dendrite-free Zn plating/stripping process, even at a high plating areal density of 3 mAh cm−2. The as-fabricated solid-state Zn battery exhibited excellent performance, including high discharge capacity (1.52 mAh cm−2), long-term cycling stability (83.6 % capacity retention after 70000 cycles (7 months)), wide temperature adaptability (−35 to 50 °C) and fast charging ability. The ZMC differs from SPEs in its structure for transporting Zn2+ ions, significantly improving solid-state ZIBs while maintaining safety, durability, and sustainability. © 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Research Area(s)

  • ion hopping, molecular crystals, solid electrolytes, zinc batteries, zinc ion batteries

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