Built‐In Electric Field Effects Tailoring Solvation Sheath and Desolvation Processes of Solvated Zn<sup>2+</sup> Toward Stable Aqueous Rocking‐Chair Zinc‐Ion Batteries

ABSTRACT Currently, although some progress has been made in infancy‐stage rocking‐chair aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs), more discussions have focused only on the different electrochemical performances displayed by different material types rather than the intrinsic ion transport migration electrochemistry. Herein, we for the first time delve into the mechanism of tailoring the solvation sheath and desolvation processes at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces to enhance the structural stabilities in the deep discharge states. In this work, the TiO 2 front interfaces are induced on electrochemically active but unstable TiSe 2 host materials to construct unique TiO 2 /TiSe 2 –C heterointerfaces. According to X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS), and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), the intercalated species are transformed from [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ to [Zn(H 2 O) 2 ] 2+ due to the built‐in electric fields (BEFs) effects, further accelerating the ion transfer kinetics. Furthermore, owing to the absence of high‐energy desolvation solvents released from desolvation processes, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) energy barriers, Ti–Se bond strength, and structural stabilities are significantly improved, and the initial CE and HER overpotentials of the TiO 2 /TiSe 2 –C heterointerfaces increased from 13.76% to 84.7%, and from 1.04 to 1.30 V, respectively, and the H 2 precipitation current density even at −1.3 V decreased by 73.2%. This work provides valuable insights into the complex interface electrochemical mechanism of tailoring the solvation sheath and desolvation processes toward rocking‐chair zinc‐ion batteries.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Carbon Energy
Published
2025-02-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cey2.691
Citations
12
Primary Topic
Advanced battery technologies research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.77

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Built‐In Electric Field Effects Tailoring Solvation Sheath and Desolvation Processes of Solvated Zn2+ Toward Stable Aqueous Rocking‐Chair Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Xin He, Haomiao Li, Kai Jiang, Min Zhou et al.
12 citations
Carbon Energy
Advanced battery technologies research
8.77
article

Built‐In Electric Field Effects Tailoring Solvation Sheath and Desolvation Processes of Solvated Zn2+ Toward Stable Aqueous Rocking‐Chair Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Xin He, Haomiao Li, Kai Jiang, Min Zhou, Wei Wang, Qingyuan Wang, Yumeng Liu, Kangli Wang, Peng Cai, Zidong Zhang
article en
12 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Currently, although some progress has been made in infancy‐stage rocking‐chair aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs), more discussions have focused only on the different electrochemical performances displayed by different material types rather than the intrinsic ion transport migration electrochemistry. Herein, we for the first time delve into the mechanism of tailoring the solvation sheath and desolvation processes at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces to enhance the structural stabilities in the deep discharge states. In this work, the TiO 2 front interfaces are induced on electrochemically active but unstable TiSe 2 host materials to construct unique TiO 2 /TiSe 2 –C heterointerfaces. According to X‐ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS), and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), the intercalated species are transformed from [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ to [Zn(H 2 O) 2 ] 2+ due to the built‐in electric fields (BEFs) effects, further accelerating the ion transfer kinetics. Furthermore, owing to the absence of high‐energy desolvation solvents released from desolvation processes, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) energy barriers, Ti–Se bond strength, and structural stabilities are significantly improved, and the initial CE and HER overpotentials of the TiO 2 /TiSe 2 –C heterointerfaces increased from 13.76% to 84.7%, and from 1.04 to 1.30 V, respectively, and the H 2 precipitation current density even at −1.3 V decreased by 73.2%. This work provides valuable insights into the complex interface electrochemical mechanism of tailoring the solvation sheath and desolvation processes toward rocking‐chair zinc‐ion batteries.

Carbon EnergyVol. 7(5)
Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Advanced battery technologies research
8.77
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.