Polyelectrolyte Membrane Enables Highly Reversible Zinc Battery Chemistry via Immobilizing Anion and Stabilizing Water

Abstract

The integration of water-based electrolytes into zinc-ion batteries encounters challenges due to the limited voltage window of water, interfacial side reactions of mobile counterions, and the growth of zinc metal (Zn⁰) dendrites during charge. In this study, we introduce a nonfluorinated, cation-conducting polyelectrolyte membrane (PEM) designed to alleviate these challenges by suppressing the reactivities of both water and counterions. This PEM forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules through its proton-accepting side chains, thus shifting the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy of water from −0.37 to −0.14 eV and inducing a negative shift in the onset potential for hydrogen evolution by 110 mV. Additionally, it immobilizes the counteranions onto the polymer backbones via covalent bonding, hence making the Zn²⁺ transference number nearly unity (0.96). Meanwhile, the high modulus PEM establishes a solid-state diffusion barrier to homogenize the interfacial Zn²⁺ flux, leading to 3D in-plane interfacial Zn²⁺ diffusion and compact Zn⁰ plating within the (002) plane. Atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) reveals corrosion-free Zn⁰ deposition without electrolyte degradation, while operando transition X-ray microscopy (TXM) further illustrates the real-time dendrite-free Zn⁰ plating process at 5 mA/cm². Consequently, the unique properties of this water-binding and anion-tethering PEM enable enhanced electrochemical performance without employing highly fluorinated and expensive anions. This PEM demonstrates a durability of 3800 h in Zn⁰–Zn⁰ symmetric cells and a lifetime of 6000 cycles in Zn⁰–LiV₃O₈ full cells.