Modulating electrolyte structure for ultralow temperature aqueous zinc batteries

作者：Qiu Zhang, Yilin Ma, Yong Lü, Lin Li, Fang Wan, Kai Zhang, Jun Chen · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-020-18284-0 · 被引用次数：945 · 研究领域：Advanced battery technologies research、Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies、Advanced Battery Technologies Research

Abstract Rechargeable aqueous batteries are an up-and-coming system for potential large-scale energy storage due to their high safety and low cost. However, the freeze of aqueous electrolyte limits the low-temperature operation of such batteries. Here, we report the breakage of original hydrogen-bond network in ZnCl 2 solution by modulating electrolyte structure, and thus suppressing the freeze of water and depressing the solid-liquid transition temperature of the aqueous electrolyte from 0 to –114 °C. This ZnCl 2 -based low-temperature electrolyte renders polyaniline||Zn batteries available to operate in an ultra-wide temperature range from –90 to +60 °C, which covers the earth surface temperature in record. Such polyaniline||Zn batteries are robust at –70 °C (84.9 mA h g −1 ) and stable during over 2000 cycles with ~100% capacity retention. This work significantly provides an effective strategy to propel low-temperature aqueous batteries via tuning the electrolyte structure and widens the application range of temperature adaptation of aqueous batteries.