A semi-liquid electrode toward stable Zn powder anode

Abstract

Zn powder anode possesses great versatility compared to the Zn foil counterpart, but the rough surface with a high surface area aggravates the corrosion and dendrite growth. Herein, a dendrite-free and anti-corrosive semi-liquid Zn anode (SLA) is successfully fabricated based on Zn powder and a thickening agent. Benefiting from the rheological property, the unique anode effectively releases the stress induced by Zn plating, especially under high-current densities. Meanwhile, the dual-conductive medium, i.e., ionic and electronic, homogenizes the ion flux and allows the stripping/plating to occur within the entire anode. In a symmetric cell, the SLA anode exhibits stable electrochemical behavior with a prolonged lifespan at the current density of 5 mA cm−2/10 mA cm−2 under the capacity of 5 mAh cm−2/10 mAh cm−2. Improved durability of more than 5000 cycles is endowed when assembling an SLA anode with a vanadium-based cathode. This study provides an electrode rheology-based approach to overcome the stability challenge of powder anode for scale-up manufacturing.