Reviving Zn0 Dendrites to Electroactive Zn2+ by Mesoporous MXene with Active Edge Sites

Fanxing Bu; Zhihao Sun; Wanhai Zhou; Yanyan Zhang; Yongjin Chen; Bing Ma; Xiaoxu Liu; Pei Liang; Chenglin Zhong; Ruizheng Zhao; Hongpeng Li; Lipeng Wang; Tengsheng Zhang; Boya Wang; Zaiwang Zhao; Jie Zhang; Wei Li; Yasseen S Ibrahim; Yasser Hassan; Ahmed Elzatahry; Dongliang Chao; Dongyuan Zhao

doi:10.1021/jacs.3c08986

Reviving Zn⁰ Dendrites to Electroactive Zn²⁺ by Mesoporous MXene with Active Edge Sites

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Nov 8;145(44):24284-24293. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c08986. Epub 2023 Oct 27.

Authors

Fanxing Bu^{1

2}, Zhihao Sun¹, Wanhai Zhou¹, Yanyan Zhang¹, Yongjin Chen³, Bing Ma¹, Xiaoxu Liu⁴, Pei Liang⁵, Chenglin Zhong⁶, Ruizheng Zhao¹, Hongpeng Li¹, Lipeng Wang¹, Tengsheng Zhang¹, Boya Wang¹, Zaiwang Zhao¹, Jie Zhang¹, Wei Li¹, Yasseen S Ibrahim⁷, Yasser Hassan⁸, Ahmed Elzatahry⁷, Dongliang Chao¹, Dongyuan Zhao¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China.
² Key Laboratory of Silicate Cultural Relics Conservation, School of Cultural Heritage and Information Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, People's Republic of China.
³ Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China.
⁴ School of Material Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, People's Republic of China.
⁵ College of Optical and Electronic Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, People's Republic of China.
⁶ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong 276005, People's Republic of China.
⁷ Department of Physics and Materials Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha 2713, Qatar.
⁸ Department of Chemistry and Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha 2713, Qatar.

PMID: 37888942
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08986

Abstract

Zinc metal-based aqueous batteries (ZABs) offer a sustainable, affordable, and safe energy storage alternative to lithium, yet inevitable dendrite formation impedes their wide use, especially under long-term and high-rate cycles. How the battery can survive after dendrite formation remains an open question. Here, we pivot from conventional Zn dendrite growth suppression strategies, introducing proactive dendrite-digesting chemistry via a mesoporous Ti₃C₂ MXene (MesoTi₃C₂)-wrapped polypropylene separator. Spectroscopic characterizations and electrochemical evaluation demonstrate that MesoTi₃C₂, acting as an oxidant, can revive the formed dead Zn⁰ dendrites into electroactive Zn²⁺ ions through a spontaneous redox process. Density functional theory reveals that the abundant edge-Ti-O sites in our MesoTi₃C₂ facilitate high oxidizability and electron transfer from Zn⁰ dendrites compared to their in-plane counterparts. The resultant asymmetrical cell demonstrates remarkable ultralong cycle life of 2200 h at a practical current of 5 mA cm^-2 with a low overpotential (<50 mV). The study reveals the unexpected edge effect of mesoporous MXenes and uncovers a new proactive dendrite-digesting chemistry to survive ZABs, albeit with inevitable dendrite formation.