ERI: Understanding and Designing Electrolytes and Polymer Coatings to Enable Stable Zn Metal Anode

This project will contribute to the development of low-cost, safe, and sustainable energy storage solutions to meet future energy and environmental challenges. Zinc metal batteries offer a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to Zinc’s (Zn) domestic abundance, lower cost, and large global reserves. However, challenges like battery short circuits, corrosion, and hydrogen evolution reactions limit the battery’s energy storage capacity and cycling stability. The research focuses on Zn aqueous batteries by addressing dendrite formation or short circuiting—a major barrier to their wide application. Insights gained from this work will enhance the performance and safety of Zn batteries, paving the way for their use in large-scale energy storage. The project integrates research with course development, promoting hands-on learning in energy storage technologies. It will provide unique opportunities for students (both graduate and undergraduate) to engage in cutting-edge research and pursue careers in energy fields.

The issues of Zn dendrite formation arise from the Zn-ion solvation structure and interfacial properties, where water-coordinated Zn²⁺ ions slow ion transfer and cause parasitic reactions. While super-concentrated electrolytes can reduce these effects, they are costly and have lower conductivity. Controlling Zn-ion solvation structure in both bulk and at the interface is essential for enhancing Zinc-metal battery performance and requires further investigation to improve capacity and cyclability. This project aims to investigate novel additives to modulate Zn-ion solvation and deposition behavior. A novel functional coating will be developed to regulate Zn-ion de-solvation kinetics at the interface and enhance cycling stability. Experimentally, electrochemical and characterization techniques such as Raman, NMR, XPS, and TEM will be employed to observe interfacial Zn-ion solvation structure when applying the functional coating layer. Understanding how the electrolyte additives influence Zn-ion coordination in bulk electrolytes and within interfacial coating layers will lead to the rational design of additives and corresponding multifunctional coatings, contributing to the development of high-capacity, long-life zinc-metal batteries.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Award Number: 2502247
Principal Investigator: Rong Kou
Funds Obligated: $200,000
State: TX