Controlled Deposition of Zinc Metal Anodes via Selectively Polarized Ferroelectric Polymers.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries are regarded as ideal candidates for stationary energy storage systems due to their low cost and high safety. However, zinc can readily grow into dendrites, leading to limited cycling performance and quick failure of the batteries. Herein, we propose a novel strategy to mitigate this dendrite problem, in which selectively-polarized ferroelectric polymer material (poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE))) is employed as a surface protective layer on zinc anodes. Such a polarized ferroelectric polymer layer could enable a locally-concentrated zinc ion distribution along the coated surface and thus enable the horizontal growth of zinc plates. As a result, symmetrical zinc batteries using such anodes exhibits long cycling lifespan at 0.2 mA cm-2 , 0.2 mAh cm-2 for 2000 hours, and a high rate performance up to 15 mA cm-2 . Also, the full cell (including Zn-MnO2 battery and zinc ion capacitor) based on this anode has been demonstrated. This work provides a novel strategy to protect the zinc anode and even other metal anodes exploiting polymer ferroelectricity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.