Effect of sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate additive on the electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc ion batteries

Abstract Aqueous zinc ion batteries have shown great potential for large‐scale energy storage systems and have attracted widespread market interest. However, side reactions such as passivation of zinc anode hinder its further development towards practical applications. In this paper, sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate (SDBS) was used as an aqueous electrolyte additive to improve the cycling performance. The experimental results show that SDBS can form a stable protective film on the electrode surface, inhibit the formation and growth of zinc dendrites, and reduce the side reactions of the electrolyte, thus improving the electrochemical performance of the battery. The application of SDBS as an electrolyte additive in Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 /Zn (NVP/Zn) full batteries significantly improves the cycling performance and the Coulombic efficiency of the batteries, inhibits the occurrence of the side reactions, and slows down the decay of the reversible specific capacity. The NVP/Zn full cell with the addition of SDBS achieved 81% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 0.5C magnification, and the cell polarization was significantly reduced. This work provides a simple and feasible method for aqueous zinc ion batteries to reduce polarization and increase the diffusion rate of Zn 2+ .