Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2023, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (4): 599-611.doi: 10.1007/s40242-023-3126-x

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Rational Design of Nanostructured MnO2 Cathode for High-performance Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries

LI Qi1, ZHAO Yajun1, WANG Yueyang1, Abdalla Kovan KHASRAW1, ZHAO Yi1,2, SUN Xiaoming1   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China;
    2. Advanced Technology Research Institute, Beijing Institute of Technology, Jinan 250300, P.R. China
  • Received:2023-05-16 Online:2023-08-01 Published:2023-07-18
  • Contact: SUN Xiaoming, ZHAO Yi E-mail:sunxm@mail.buct.edu.cn;zybattery@buct.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.22209006, 21935001), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China(No.ZR2022QE009), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(No.buctrc202307) and the Key Beijing Natural Science Foundation, China(No.Z210016).

Abstract: Aqueous Zn-MnO2 batteries hold a promising potential for grid-scale energy storage applications due to their intrinsic safety, low fabrication cost, environmental friendliness and high theoretical energy densities. Developing novel nanostructured cathode materials with high discharge voltage, large capacity and excellent structural stability is one of the critical ways to achieve the high-performance aqueous Zn batteries. Enlighten by that, comprehending principles of materials design and identifying the challenges faced by the state-of-the-art MnO2 hosts are vital preconditions. Rather than a simple comparison, this review mainly focuses on design strategies regarding to MnO2-based materials, including defect engineering, interfacial engineering, and pre-intercalation engineering. In addition, the energy storage mechanisms of MnO2-based cathodes are discussed to clarify the complicated chemical reactions during battery cycling. Challenges and perspectives are outlined to guide the further development of advanced Zn-MnO2 batteries.

Key words: Aqueous Zn battery, Nanostructured MnO2 cathode, Energy storage mechanism, Material design strategy