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Song, Xueyang

University of British Columbia

Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have recently gained much interest as a fast-growing alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for large-scale energy storage. However, the development of ZIBs is hindered by severe problems associated with Zn metal anodes, such as Zn dendrite formation, passivation, and low efficiency. To address these problems, this thesis work developed two different approaches, including developing a new electrolyte for ZIBs and a novel Al-O-N coating to protect Zn metal anode. Firstly, a hybrid electrolyte was formulated by adding acetonitrile (AN) as an aqueous electrolyte co-solvent. The introduction of AN provided high stability while maintaining the non-inflammability and high ionic conductivity of water-based solutions. For the first time, we report an “acetonitrile/water hybrid electrolyte” used in Zn/MnO₂ batteries and maintain excellent stability over a large voltage spectrum of 0.8 to 2.2 V. Secondly, the Al-O-N coating was formed on Zn metal anode using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The wettability of Zn was improved with the Al-O-N coating and corrosion was reduced. As a result, the development of Zn dendrites was essentially suppressed, and the lifetime of ZIBs was significantly increased.

Text

2022-08-09

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/79337

Mechanical Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/