An anode-free aqueous dual-ion battery

Abstract

Aqueous dual-ion batteries are promising contenders for future applications due to their environmental friendliness, salient safety and cost-effectiveness. Herein, a novel anode-free aqueous dual-ion cell is proposed. Besides, electrolytes with inorganic/organic hybrid zinc salts are adopted to optimize its electrochemical performance. The electrochemical results suggest that this anode-free aqueous dual-ion cell exhibits decent reversible capacity and stable cyclability during galvanostatic cycles. Furthermore, the changes of the cathode and collector during charging and discharging are demonstrated via various in situ and ex situ routes. Without an anode, the weight and material cost of batteries can be reduced. Therefore, this work provides a new insight into the design of aqueous dual-ion batteries.