Ca<sup>2+</sup>-Preintercalated V<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> as a Dual-Function Cathode Additive for Polyiodide Anchoring in Zn–I<sub>2</sub> Batteries
Aqueous zinc-iodine (Zn-I<sub>2</sub>) batteries have attracted considerable attention due to their abundant resources, high safety, and environmental friendliness. However, challenges inherent to conversion-type electrodes, including severe active material shuttling and suboptimal Coulombic efficiency, continue to limit their performance. Here, we present a high-performance Zn-I<sub>2</sub> battery enabled by calcium-ion-preintercalated V<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> (CaVO) nanobelts as a cathode additive. By harnessing the synergistic effects of physical trapping (via activated carbon and interlayer confinement in CaVO) and chemical adsorption (through Ca<sup>2+</sup> binding sites), the hybrid host framework achieves superior immobilization of iodine species while simultaneously shortening Zn<sup>2+</sup> diffusion pathways, thereby facilitating efficient I<sup>0</sup>/I<sup>-</sup> redox kinetics. Furthermore, Ca-induced crystal structure modification enhances the Zn<sup>2+</sup> transport and provides additional capacity contributions. As a result, Zn-I<sub>2</sub> cells employing I<sub>2</sub>-loaded CaVO (CaVO/AC@I<sub>2</sub>) composite cathodes deliver a high specific capacity of 244 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 0.2 A g<sup>-1</sup>, outstanding rate performance with 78.5% capacity retention at 5 A g<sup>-1</sup>, and an impressive energy density of 279 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup>, based on the combined mass of I<sub>2</sub> and CaVO. This work presents a hybrid energy storage strategy for Zn-I<sub>2</sub> systems, providing a feasible approach for the development of next-generation high-performance aqueous batteries.
Authors
- Xuan Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2453-2805)
- Jordi Arbiol (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0695-1726)
- Canhuang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9746-9483)
- Linlin Yang
- Xueqiang Qi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4566-9552)
- Guifang Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5927-4730)
- Jiali Chai
- Yuchuan Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6870-4149)
- Xuede Qi
- Andreu Cabot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7533-3251)
- Yanting Xie
- Chaoqi Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0357-235X)
- Timo Jacob (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7777-2306)
- Chen Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2934-8118)
- Xiaoyu Bi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6428-5250)
- Yapeng Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9218-9095)
- Jing Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9740-9193)
- Jing Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7620-745X)
- Qian Xue
- Xingqi Chang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2604-0233)
- Ren He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3712-5539)
- Kaifu Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3670-773X)
- Ao Yu
Institutions
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE)
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES)
- Universität Ulm (DE)
- Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ES)
- Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya (ES)
- Helmholtz-Institute Ulm (DE)
- Southwest Jiaotong University (CN)
- Chongqing University of Technology (CN)
- Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
- Fuzhou University (CN)
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Nano
- Published
- 2025-06-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c07460
- Citations
- 11
- Primary Topic
- Advanced battery technologies research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.03
Funders
- Baden-Württemberg Stiftung
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- China Scholarship Council
- Fuzhou University
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona