Nicotinamide Solid Cosolvent Enhanced Two-Electron Zinc Peroxide Chemistry for Stable Neutral Zinc-Air Batteries
Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are promising energy storage systems due to their high energy density and sustainability. Neutral electrolytes effectively address the CO<sub>2</sub> sensitivity and zinc corrosion issues in alkaline systems but face challenges such as hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and sluggish oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR/OER) dynamics. Herein, we introduce nicotinamide (NAM), a solid cosolvent with high donor number (DN) and acceptor number (AN) in neutral electrolyte. Due to its high DN, NAM readily coordinates with Zn<sup>2+</sup> to weaken H<sub>2</sub>O's dominance in the primary solvation sheath, reducing the required zinc salt concentration. NAM's strong hydrogen bonding with H<sub>2</sub>O limits water mobility, suppressing HER and zinc corrosion. Its high AN enhances O<sub>2</sub><sup>-</sup> affinity, enabling efficient two-electron zinc peroxide (ZnO<sub>2</sub>) chemistry. These advancements lead to remarkable stability, including nearly 2000 h in symmetric cells and 560 h in ZABs. Our electrolyte design highlights the potential of advancing neutral ZAB technology.
Authors
- Bohua Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2867-7780)
- Jingning Lai
- Zhan Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6538-2199)
- Fengling Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1717-6307)
- Wen Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1501-3771)
- L. T. Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1965-8617)
- Li Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8859-076X)
- Nan Chen
- Renjie Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7001-2926)
- Nuo Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1267-1982)
- Feng Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9877-6426)
- Jixiang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7062-882X)
Institutions
- Beijing Institute of Technology (CN)
- Advanced Energy (United States) (US)
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering (AU)
- Innovative Research (United States) (US)
- Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Letters
- Published
- 2025-06-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c01562
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Advanced battery technologies research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.65
Funders
- Beijing Outstanding Young Talents
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China