Aqueous V2 O5 -Zn batteries, an alternative chemistry format that is inherently safer to operate than lithium-based batteries, illuminates the low-cost deployment of the stationary energy storage devices. However, the cathode structure collapse caused by H2 O co-insertion in aqueous solution dramatically deteriorates the electrochemical performance and hampers the operation reliability of V2 O5 -Zn batteries. The real-time phase tracking and the density functional theory (DFT) calculation prove the high energy barrier that inhibits the Zn2+ diffusion into the bulk V2 O5 , instead the ZnCl2 "water-in-salt electrolyte" (WiSE) can enable the dominant proton insertion with negligible lattice strain or particle fragment. Thus, ZnCl2 WiSE enables the enhanced reversibility and extended shelf life of the V2 O5 -Zn battery upon the high temperature storage. The improved electrochemical performance also benefits by the inhibition of vanadium cation dissolution, enlarged voltage window, as well as the suppression of the Zn dendrite protrusion. This study comprehensively elucidates the pivotal role of a concentrated ZnCl2 electrolyte to stabilize the aqueous batteries at both the static storage and dynamic operation scenarios.
Keywords: V2O5 cathode; operando XRD; proton insertion mechanism; self-discharge; water-in-salt electrolytes.
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