A stable zinc-based secondary battery realized by anion-exchange membrane as the separator

Abstract Zinc anode is promising for various aqueous batteries due to its low cost and high theoretical specific capacity. However, poor cycling stability caused by dendritic growth seriously hampered its widespread application. Herein, we demonstrate that by using an anion-exchange membrane, quaternary ammonia poly (N-methyl-piperidine-co-p-terphenyl) (QAPPT), as the separator, the damage from short circuits can be completely prevented. More details reveal that when approaching the QAPPT membrane, Zn dendrites perform a bending growth rather than pierce through it, which helps achieve a superior cycling stability without any short. The bending growth can be ascribed to a variation of electrolyte concentration at the electrode/membrane interface where Zn electrodeposited at a very low rate in the direction perpendicular to the membrane. By using QAPPT membrane, an ultra-stable Ni–Zn full cell is then realized. This finding may pave a facile way to solve the problems associated with dendrites for diverse alkaline Zn-based batteries.