Few-layer bismuth selenide cathode for low-temperature quasi-solid-state aqueous zinc metal batteries

75Citations
Citations of this article
62Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The performances of rechargeable batteries are strongly affected by the operating environmental temperature. In particular, low temperatures (e.g., ≤0 °C) are detrimental to efficient cell cycling. To circumvent this issue, we propose a few-layer Bi2Se3 (a topological insulator) as cathode material for Zn metal batteries. When the few-layer Bi2Se3 is used in combination with an anti-freeze hydrogel electrolyte, the capacity delivered by the cell at −20 °C and 1 A g−1 is 1.3 larger than the capacity at 25 °C for the same specific current. Also, at 0 °C the Zn | |few-layer Bi2Se3 cell shows capacity retention of 94.6% after 2000 cycles at 1 A g−1. This behaviour is related to the fact that the Zn-ion uptake in the few-layer Bi2Se3 is higher at low temperatures, e.g., almost four Zn2+ at 25 °C and six Zn2+ at −20 °C. We demonstrate that the unusual performance improvements at low temperatures are only achievable with the few-layer Bi2Se3 rather than bulk Bi2Se3. We also show that the favourable low-temperature conductivity and ion diffusion capability of few-layer Bi2Se3 are linked with the presence of topological surface states and weaker lattice vibrations, respectively.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Zhao, Y., Lu, Y., Li, H., Zhu, Y., Meng, Y., Li, N., … Zhi, C. (2022). Few-layer bismuth selenide cathode for low-temperature quasi-solid-state aqueous zinc metal batteries. Nature Communications, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28380-y

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free