Current Challenges and Advanced Design Strategy of Vanadium Dioxide Cathode for Low-Cost Aqueous Zinc Metal Battery

Abstract

Rechargeable aqueous zinc metal battery has been one of the next-generation energy storage systems with a promising future due to the advantages of aqueous electrolyte and metallic zinc anode. Among many cathode materials, vanadium-based materials with considerable specific capacity, adjustable crystal structure, and multiple valence states are very promising cathodes, but the electrochemical performance of vanadium-based zinc metal batteries faces severe challenges such as the limited and declining capacity and sluggish ion/e− transport kinetics process. Herein, taking VO2 as an example, the crystal structure and energy storage mechanism of VO2 cathode are briefly introduced. The challenges of aqueous Zn/VO2 battery are analyzed in depth. Significantly, the current advanced modification strategies for aqueous Zn/VO2 battery are summarized and discussed in detail, and the future development is also prospected. This article can provide some significant references for the development of aqueous Zn/VO2 battery and the guiding significance for other metal ion battery.