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Batteries
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Research Focuses on Zinc-Air Batteries
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Research Focuses on Zinc-Air Batteries

A special issue of Batteries (ISSN 2313-0105). This special issue belongs to the section "Battery Materials and Interfaces: Anode, Cathode, Separators and Electrolytes or Others".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 5619

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wenxiu Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Advanced Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: nanomaterials; electrocatalysis; fuel cells; hydrogen; metal-air batttery
Dr. Lili Yao

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China
Interests: nanomaterials; electrocatalysis; electrochemistry in biomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since their initial proposal in 1878, Zn–air batteries (ZABs) have been the subject of significant attention and research in the energy field. Although various rechargeable batteries (e.g., lithium-ion battery, sodium-ion battery, lithium-sulfur battery, etc.) have been developed, ZABs’ advantages, including their high theoretical energy density (1086 W h kg−1), low cost (ubiquitous air and earth-abundant Zn), environmental friendliness and safety (nontoxic and nonflammable electrolytes), reveal their promise for large-scale practical applications. Numerous studies concerning the development of Zn anodes, air cathodes, electrolytes and separators have reported ameliorating their limited efficiency, durability, and cycle life. In particular, the multistep processes and sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during the charging/discharging process present substantial obstacles to superior ZAB performance. Accordingly, diverse materials have been designed to improve ORR/OER electrocatalysis at the heterogeneous interface. Moreover, portable and wearable devices necessitate advances in flexible ZABs with pliable electrodes and solid-state electrolytes.

Despite current efforts, battery deficiencies remain, which must be overcome before widespread application can be realized. Purposive structural and componential regulation of battery configuration, combining techniques such as computational simulation and high-throughput screening and ZAB integration, are required. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the latest research relating to ZABs, including design of advanced oxygen electrocatalyst material, electrocatalysis mechanisms, solid-state electrolytes, etc.

Dr. Wenxiu Yang
Dr. Lili Yao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Batteries is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Zn–air batteries
  • nanomaterials
  • oxygen reduction reaction
  • oxygen evolution reaction
  • electrocatalyst
  • solid-state electrolytes

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2354 KiB  
Article
High-Conductive Multilayer TiOX-Ti3C2TX Electrocatalyst for Longevous Metal-Oxygen Battery under a High Rate
by Zhihui Sun, Shuai Zhao and Jixiong Zhang
Batteries 2023, 9(4), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9040205 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1185
Abstract
Metal-oxygen batteries (especially Li-O2 battery) with ultrahigh theoretical energy density are of great promise for long-range vehicle electrification. However, the limited enduring stability and low-rate property further restricted the large-scale commercial application of metal-oxygen batteries. We firstly report the fabrication of a [...] Read more.
Metal-oxygen batteries (especially Li-O2 battery) with ultrahigh theoretical energy density are of great promise for long-range vehicle electrification. However, the limited enduring stability and low-rate property further restricted the large-scale commercial application of metal-oxygen batteries. We firstly report the fabrication of a TiOX@Ti3C2TX with multilayer structure and its utilization as cathode for Li-O2 batteries. The TiOX protective layer was fabricated in situ to directly optimize surface properties of Ti3C2TX, as well as to strengthen surface active functional groups. The initial discharge capacity of as-prepared TiOX@Ti3C2TX cathode reaches 7100 mAh g−1 at 2500 mA g−1, as well as delivers impressive cycling stability (>100 cycles) at 2500 mA g−1. Experimental analysis reveals that the in situ TiOX protective layer enhanced active functional-groups and the improved complete decomposition of discharge products Li2O2 are three critical factors for promoting the electrochemical performance of LOBs. This work exhibits a new insight into the design of MXene electrocatalysts for metal-oxygen batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Focuses on Zinc-Air Batteries)
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14 pages, 4534 KiB  
Article
Density Functional Theory Study of Oxygen Evolution Reaction Mechanism on Rare Earth Sc-Doped Graphene
by Yiwen Liu, Mengqi Liao, Yuting Hu, Tae-Gwan Lee, Ravindranadh Koutavarapu, Shaik Gouse Peera and Chao Liu
Batteries 2023, 9(3), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9030175 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1781
Abstract
The development of a stable catalyst with excellent catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline environments is a key reaction in various electrochemical technologies. In this work, single-atom catalysts (SACs) systems in which scandium (Sc), a rare earth metal, with [...] Read more.
The development of a stable catalyst with excellent catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline environments is a key reaction in various electrochemical technologies. In this work, single-atom catalysts (SACs) systems in which scandium (Sc), a rare earth metal, with different N/C coordination environments (ScNxC3−x@SACs and ScNxC4−x@SACs of Sc) were systematically studied with the help of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results of the structural thermodynamic stability analysis indicated that the ScNxC3−x@SACs and ScNxC4−x@SACs systems are more stable with increasing N atom doping concentration around Sc. The ScN3, ScN3C, and ScN4 with better stability were selected as the objects of subsequent research. However, ScN3 and ScN4 form Sc(OH)2N3 and Sc(OH)2N4 structures with double-hydroxyl groups as ligands because of the strong adsorption of OH species, whereas the strong adsorption of OH species by ScN3C causes structural instability. Here, the overpotential (η) of Sc(OH)2N3 was 1.03 V; Sc(OH)2N4 had two reaction paths and the η of path 1 was 0.80 V, which was 0.30 V lower than that of path 2. Therefore, Sc(OH)2N4 can be used as a stable and promising OER catalyst with easy desorption of O2 and good cycle performance. The hydroxyl ligand modification of Sc-NxC3−x@SACs and Sc-NxC4−x@SACs provides a method for studying the catalytic performance of other rare earth elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Focuses on Zinc-Air Batteries)
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14 pages, 4068 KiB  
Article
MOF-Derived Urchin-like Co9S8-Ni3S2 Composites on Ni Foam as Efficient Self-Supported Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction
by Yingping Bu, Yawen Zhang, Yingying Liu, Simin Li, Yanlin Zhou, Xuefen Lin, Zicong Dong, Renchun Zhang, Jingchao Zhang and Daojun Zhang
Batteries 2023, 9(1), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9010046 - 07 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1989
Abstract
Effective and inexpensive electrocatalysts are significant to improve the performance of oxygen evolution reaction. Facing the bottleneck of slow kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction, it is highly desirable to design the electrocatalyst with high activity, good conductivity, and satisfactory stability. In this work, [...] Read more.
Effective and inexpensive electrocatalysts are significant to improve the performance of oxygen evolution reaction. Facing the bottleneck of slow kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction, it is highly desirable to design the electrocatalyst with high activity, good conductivity, and satisfactory stability. In this work, nickel foam supported hierarchical Co9S8–Ni3S2 composite hollow microspheres were derived from in situ-generative MOF precursors and the subsequent sulfurization process by a simple two-step solvothermal method. The composite microspheres were directly grown on nickel foam without any binder, and nickel foam was used as the nickel source and support material. The morphology and constitution of the series self-supported electrodes were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and Raman, respectively. The unique porous architecture enriched the electrode with sufficient active surface and helped to reactants and bubble evolved during electrochemical water oxidation. Through tuning the concentration of cobalt source and ligand, the content ratio of Co9S8 and Ni3S2 can be modulated. The heterostructures not only afford active interfaces between the phases but also allow electronic transfer between Co9S8 and Ni3S2. The optimized Co9S8-Ni3S2/NF-0.6 electrode with the highest electrochemical surface area and conductivity shows the best OER performance among the series electrodes in 1 M KOH solution. The overpotential of Co9S8-Ni3S2/NF-0.6 is only 233 mV when the current density is 10 mA cm−2, and corresponding Tafel slope is 116.75 mV dec−1. In addition, the current density of Co9S8-Ni3S2/NF-0.6 electrocatalyst hardly decreased during the 12 h stability measurement. Our approach in this work may provide the future rational design and synthesis of satisfactory OER electrocatalysts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Focuses on Zinc-Air Batteries)
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