A water-gating and zinc-sieving lignocellulose nanofiber separator for dendrite-free rechargeable aqueous zinc ion battery

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 457; p. 141160
• Main Authors: Li, Zhenglin, Ye, Lei, Zhou, Guoqiang, Xu, Wangwang, Zhao, Kangning, Zhang, Xiaoman, Hong, Shu, Ma, Tongtong, Li, Mei-Chun, Liu, Chaozheng, Mei, Changtong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Aqueous zinc-ion batteries; Dendrite-free zinc anode; Functional separator; Lignocellulose nanofibers; Lignocellulose nanofibers; Dendrite-free zinc anode; Aqueous zinc-ion batteries; Functional separator
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.141160

[Display omitted] •A lignocellulose nanofiber (LCNF) separator is developed for dendrite-free zinc-ion battery.•The LCNF separator enables increased zinc deposition kinetics and reduced desolvation barrier of hydrated zinc ions.•Such separator can be completely degraded in the natural soil within two weeks. The sustainable development of rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (RZIBs) is severely limited by the uncontrolled zinc dendritic growth and side reactions on the anode. Herein, a lignocellulose nanofiber (LCNF) separator from waste palm with dual-function of water-gating and zinc-sieving is developed for the dendrite-free zinc anode. The obtained LCNF separator offer hydrophobic surface (96°), uniform nanopores (∼20 nm), excellent mechanical performance (47.8 MPa), and high ionic conductivity (18.1 mS cm−1). Therefore, the LCNF separator enables increased zinc deposition kinetics, and reduced desolvation barrier of hydrated zinc ions, effectively suppressing the Zn dendrite growth and promoting the uniform Zn plating/stripping on zinc anode. Such separator enables excellent performance: a low polarization of 60.1 mV and steady charge-discharge in a Zn//Zn symmetric cell for 3500 h at the current density of 0.5 mA cm−1; dendrite-free zinc plating/stripping at 99.0 % coulombic efficiency in a Cu//Zn asymmetric cell for over 250 cycles at 1 mA cm−2; 280.1 mAh g−1 in MgVO//Zn full battery with the retention of 89.7 % for over 2000 cycles at 5 A g−1. In addition, this LCNF separator can be completely degraded in the natural soil within two weeks, exhibiting a low environmental impact with their natural biodegradability. This design of green separator for dendrite-free RZIBs also provides a new insight for the sustainable development of other metal-ion rechargeable batteries.