Authors: Fan Bu, Yong Gao, Qiangzheng Wang, Yuxuan Wang, Chun Li, Jiayu Yang, Xiangye Liu, Cao Guan
Published: 2023-05-24
Source: Full article
AbstractFlexible solid‐state Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have garnered considerable attention for next‐generation power sources, but the corrosion, dendrite growth, and interfacial problems severely hinder their practical applications. Herein, a high‐performance flexible solid‐state ZIB with a unique heterostructure electrolyte is facilely fabricated through ultraviolet‐assisted printing strategy. The solid polymer/hydrogel heterostructure matrix not only isolates water molecules and optimizes electric field distribution for dendrite‐free anode, but also facilitates fast and in‐depth Zn2+ transport in the cathode. The in situ ultraviolet‐assisted printing creates cross‐linked and well‐bonded interfaces between the electrodes and the electrolyte, enabling low ionic transfer resistance and high mechanical stability. As a result, the heterostructure electrolyte based ZIB outperforms single‐electrolyte based cells. It not only delivers a high capacity of 442.2 mAh g−1 with long cycling life of 900 cycles at 2 A g−1, but also maintains stable operation under mechanical bending and high‐pressure compression in a wide temperature range (−20 °C to 100 °C).