Di Zhu, Jing Li, Zhi Zheng, Songbo Ye, Yuqi Pan, Jiacheng Wu, Fangxin She, Leo Lai, Zihan Zhou, Jiaxiang Chen, Hao Li, Li Wei, Yuan Chen
Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising energy storage devices with safe, nonflammable electrolytes and abundant, low-cost electrode materials. Their practical applications are hampered by various water-related undesirable reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), corrosion of zinc metal, and water-induced decay of cathode materials. Polymer hydrogel electrolytes were used to control these reactions. However, salt, water, and polymeric backbones intervene in polymer hydrogels, and currently, there are no systematic studies on how salt and water concentrations synergistically affect polymer hydrogels' electrochemical performance...
March 20, 2024: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces