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Toward Stable Zinc-Ion Batteries: Use of a Chelate Electrolyte


Additive for Uniform Zinc Deposition
Kaixuan Xie, Kaixin Ren, Chuang Sun, Shuna Yang, Minman Tong,* Shun Yang, Zhifang Liu,
and Qinghong Wang*
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ABSTRACT: Zn-ion batteries are re-evaluated as a potential


choice to address the safety issue and cost concerns of current
energy storage systems. Unfortunately, further application is
severely hindered by low coulombic efficiency and poor cycle
life, which are caused by the undesirable dendrite growth and side
reactions on metal Zn anode. Herein, ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid (EDTA) is employed as an electrolyte additive to solve the
problem. The functional groups of EDTA adsorption layer on Zn
foil results in refined grains by providing abundant nucleation sites
for initial deposition and further induces uniform and flat Zn
deposition without dendrites. Moreover, the chelation of EDTA
with Zn2+ changes the coordination environment of hydrated Zn2+
and suppresses the side reactions. The smooth deposition of Zn
endows the Zn anodes with super stability in both symmetric cells and Zn−V2O5 full cells. This work provides a simple and feasible
approach for solving anode issues in high-performance and safe Zn-ion batteries.
KEYWORDS: zinc-ion battery, electrolyte additive, grain refinement, anode protection, long cycle life

1. INTRODUCTION The cycling process of the Zn anode involves reversible Zn


Compared with traditional organic electrolyte-based lithium- plating/stripping and its durability relies largely on the quality
ion batteries, rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) possess a of the electrodeposition layer.17,18 In the electrodeposition
great range of potential applications due to the high safety, low field, the method of introducing additives into the metal
cost, and an abundance of natural reserves.1,2 Notably, the zinc electroplating bath is commonly used to regulate the
(Zn) anode possesses remarkable superiority of high deposition kinetics to obtain flat, bright, and compact coating
theoretical capacity (820 mAh g−1) and low redox potential layers.19 Cui’s group employed polyamide as an interphase to
(−0.76 V vs SHE).3,4 However, further application is limited regulate the Zn deposition behavior in aqueous media.20
by the poor cycling performance and low coulombic efficiency Polyacrylamide was used as an electrolyte additive to achieve a
(CE) caused by the quick failing of the metal Zn anode.5,6 bright electroplated surface.21 The complexing agent is an ideal
Zn dendrites are prone to generate in the plating process electrolyte additive to control the electroplating process for a
because the initial Zn nucleation is normally localized, and this smooth surface by refining the crystal grains.22−24 The
will induce the formation of heterogeneous interfacial electric complexing effect generates more activated sites for metal
field and further result in Zn2+ accumulation on the interfacial deposition and reduces the critical radius of the crystal nucleus,
nucleation sites. Subsequently, metallic Zn will continue to thus resulting in a smaller grain size and inhibiting the
deposit on the former layer due to the “tip effect” and form formation of metal dendrites. However, the strategy of refining
protuberances, even lead to short-circuit failure of the cell. The grains via complexing agent for the fabrication of a Zn anode
newly formed dendrites also increase the electrode surface and has been rarely investigated.
trigger a series of side reactions, thus forming undesired “dead”
Zn passivation layer.7,8 To solve these problems, researchers Received: November 12, 2021
have made much effort to balance the interfacial electric field Accepted: March 18, 2022
and regulate Zn2+ migration to obtain high-performance Zn Published: March 31, 2022
anodes. Accordingly, many effective strategies have been
developed, e.g., structural construction,9,10 surface modifica-
tion,11,12 and electrolyte optimization.13−16

© 2022 American Chemical Society https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.1c03558


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Figure 1. (a) Schematics and (b) in situ optical microscopic observation of Zn deposition in the electrolytes with/without EDTA; SEM images of
Zn anodes after plated in blank electrolyte for (c, d) 10 min and (e, f) 60 min and in electrolyte with EDTA for (h, i) 10 min and (j, k) 60 min.
AFM images of Zn anodes after plated in (g) blank electrolyte and (l) electrolyte with EDTA for 60 min.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA, H4Y) undergoes Icon). The contact angle was measured on a Ramé Hart 260 contact
strong chelation with metal ions and is usually used as an angle goniometer.
electrolyte additive to realize dense and flat deposition of a 2.3. Electrochemical Measurements. The batteries were
assembled in a CR2032 coin cell configuration by using 2 M
metal or alloy.25,26 Inspired by such work, EDTA was used in ZnSO4 with/without EDTA as electrolytes and glass fiber as
this study as an electrolyte additive for uniform Zn deposition separator. The V2O5 cathode was fabricated by mixing V2O5,
(Figure 1a). The Zn affinity of EDTA and its chelation with superconducting C, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder in a
Zn2+ generate more active sites for initial nucleation, resulting weight ratio of 7:2:1 with absolute ethanol as solvent. Then the
in a smaller grain size during the initial plating stage. In the resulting sticky material was pressed into thin sheets with a mass
subsequent plating process, a flat and compact plating layer loading of ∼1.0 mg cm−2 and then tailored for use. The
without obvious “dead” Zn is achieved, thus ensuring superior electrochemical performances of the cells were tested on a battery
cycling stability for the Zn anode in EDTA-based electrolyte. testing system (LAND, CT2001A). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were performed
Moreover, the addition of EDTA changes the coordination on a CHI 660e electrochemical station.
environment of Zn2+ and significantly suppresses the side 2.4. Calculation Methods. The geometries of the coordination
reactions, thus leading to improved CE.27 Because of these complexes were optimized in SMD (solvent model based on density)
multiple functions, both of the symmetric cells and full cells solvent (water, ε = 78.35) by using B3LYP-D3 and with the 6-31+G*
using EDTA-based electrolyte deliver favorable cycling basis set under standard convergence criteria in the Gaussian 09
stability. package.28,29 The optimized structures were confirmed to be the true
minima from calculations of the analytical vibrational frequencies.30
To calculate accurately the energy of a water molecule, an explicit
2. EXPERIMENTAL SECTION model of water molecules which surround a specific water molecule
2.1. Materials Preparation. Preparation of zinc sulfate solution should be considered. The released water molecules were represented
with EDTA: EDTA (Alfa Aesar) was dissolved into 2 M zinc sulfate by a water cluster containing 18 water molecules when calculating the
solution with continuous stirring at 70 °C until all the EDTA had reaction energies (eq 1).31,32
completely dissolved; the concentrations of the EDTA were 0.02, [Zn(H 2O)6 ]2 + + H4Y + 6(H 2O)18 → [Zn(H4Y)]2 + + 6(H 2O)19
0.04, and 0.08 M. Correspondingly, the as-obtained electrolytes were
marked as ZSO-EDTA-0.02, ZSO-EDTA-0.04, and ZSO-EDTA-0.08. (1)
2.2. Structural Characterization. The composition analysis were The formation energy of the complex was calculated as follows:
performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD, Bruker-D8 Advance X-ray
diffractometer, Cu Kα radiation), energy dispersive X-ray spectros- ΔE = E([Zn(H4Y]2 + ) + E(6(H 2O)19 ) − E([Zn(H 2O)6 ]2 + )
copy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Thermo − E(H4Y) − E(6(H 2O)18 )
Fisher K-Alpha system). The XPS depth profiles were collected by
using an Ar+ ion beam, where a raster size of 2 mm and a sputtering where E is the ab initio total energy of the unit in the parentheses.
rate of 4 kV were used for different time periods. The morphology Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to
was tested by a scanning electron microscope (SEM, Hitachi SU- study the combination between EDTA and Zn board in the DMol3
8010). In situ optical microscopic observation was performed with a system. The calculations were based on generalized gradient
NIKON SMZ1270 optical microscope. The roughness was charac- approximation (GGA) 33 and the Perdew−Burke−Ernzerhof
terized by an atomic force microscope (AFM, Bruker Dimension (PBE)34 exchange-correlation function. A vacuum slab with the

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Figure 2. (a) Cyclic performance of Zn−Zn symmetric cells at a current density of 1 mA cm−2 and a fixed capacity of 1 mAh cm−2. (b) Ion
conductivity of the ZSO electrolytes with various contents of EDTA. (c) Structure of the [ZnH4EDTA]2+ complex cation. (d) Differential
capacitance curves obtained at 298 K in blank ZSO and electrolytes with EDTA. (e) Contact angle measurements of the electrolytes on a Zn
electrode. (f) EDTA adsorbed on Zn foil and the corresponding binding energy.

thickness of 15 Å was employed for avoiding the interaction between refiner for Zn deposition and diminish the tendency for
periodical images and slab. Effective core potentials with a DNP dendrite growth during cycling.
(double numerical plus polarization) basis set and a DFT-D method The effect of EDTA on Zn stripping was also studied by
within the transition state structures scheme were used for calculation.
SEM. Figure S1 shows that the Zn foil after stripping for 1 h at
The COSMO model with a dielectric constant of 78.54 was used to
consider the solvent environment of water. 1 mA cm−2 in blank electrolyte presents a mossy-type surface
with scattered microflakes, indicating the occurrence of side
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION reactions. In contrast, the anode obtained for the electrolyte
with EDTA exhibits a smooth surface, hence providing a
The effect of EDTA on Zn deposition was investigated by in
desired substrate for the following dendrite-free Zn plating.
situ monitoring the plating process at 1 mA cm−2 in symmetric
The galvanostatic cycling performance of Zn anodes in each
cells. As shown in Figure 1b, the bare Zn electrode exhibits a
electrolyte was evaluated in symmetric cells at the current
smooth surface. After 10 min of deposition in blank ZSO
density of 1 mA cm−2 with a fixed capacity of 1 mAh cm−2
electrolyte, unevenly distributed protrusions start to sprout on
(Figure 2a). After cycling for 54 h, a sudden drop followed by
Zn surface and gradually grow with time. The protrusions will
finally form Zn dendrites with further cycling due to the voltage fluctuations is observed for the blank ZSO electrolyte
“protrusion effect”.35 In contrast, in the electrolyte containing (Figure S2a), indicating a short circuit of the cell, which results
EDTA, the Zn anode exhibits a smooth edge without the from the piercing of the cell membrane by the accumulated
appearance of dendrites for the whole deposition process. dendrites.36 The cells with electrolyte containing EDTA
Additional insight into the surficial morphology of the Zn foil exhibited a more stable polarization voltage and better cycling
after plating with and without EDTA as additive was obtained stability of 4000 h. As shown in Figure S2b, the cells with
from characterization studies by SEM. For the blank ZSO EDTA-based electrolyte displayed higher voltage hysteresis
electrolyte, unevenly distributed and irregular protuberances (∼132.3 mV) than those employing the blank electrolyte
were observed after plating for 10 min (Figures 1c and 1d); (∼84.8 mV), suggesting a higher energy barrier for metal
these protrusions grew larger and disordered as the deposition nucleation in the former cells. At the same current density, the
time increased (Figures 1e and 1f). It is noted that the Zn high nucleation overpotential can generate an enhanced
anode became riddled with cracks, further indicating the driving force for nucleation and produce more nucleation
inhomogeneous deposition of metallic Zn in the blank ZSO sites, thus decreasing critical grain size.37−39 Therefore, high
electrolyte. In contrast, in the electrolyte containing EDTA, a nucleation overpotential may lead to refined nuclei during the
more dense and smooth plating layer composed of ultrafine initial deposition process and further lead to dense and smooth
nanocrystals was obtained (Figure 1h−k). Comparison of surface for the following deposition process, which clearly will
Figures 1f and 1k clearly demonstrated that the EDTA additive be of benefit in terms of suppressing dendrite growth.
can effectively refine the crystal grains and depress the dendrite To reveal the effect mechanism of EDTA electrolyte
growth. The AFM measurements revealed the rough surface of additive, various experiments and calculations were carried
the Zn anode with isolated dendrites of ∼332 nm in height out. The pH value of the ZSO-EDTA-0.04 electrolyte was
after 60 min plating in blank ZSO electrolyte (Figure 1g). In 2.15, and EDTA exists mainly in the form H4Y.40,41 The trend
contrast, a flat plating layer with an altitude intercept of ∼158 regarding the complexation strength of EDTA was validated by
nm was obtained for the electrolyte containing EDTA (Figure calculating the reactions energies (ΔE) for the [ZnH4Y]2+
1l), further supporting the hypothesis that EDTA can act as a complex based in eq 1: [Zn(H2O)6]2+ + H4Y + 6(H2O)18 →
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Figure 3. XPS survey spectra of Zn anode after the 10th cycle in EDTA-based electrolyte: (a) Full survey XPS spectra at various Ar+ sputtering
times. High-resolution XPS spectra of (b) C 1s and (c) N 1s before etching. XPS depth profiles of (d) C 1s, (e) N 1s, and (f) Zn 2p at various Ar+
sputtering times.

Figure 4. Long-term galvanostatic cycling of the symmetric cells at the current density and capacity of (a) 2 mA cm−2, 2 mAh cm−2 and (c) 4 mA
cm−2, 4 mAh cm−2. Coulombic efficiencies for the Zn plating/stripping process at (b) 2 mA cm−2, 2 mAh cm−2 and (d) 4 mA cm−2, 4 mAh cm−2.
(e) Comparison of the cycling performances for Zn anodes in EDTA containing electrolytes with previously reported electrolytes with different
additives.

[Zn(H4Y)]2+ + 6(H2O)19. According to DFT, ΔE was blocking effect of complexation also inhibits the diffusion of
calculated as −1.56 eV, demonstrating that the [ZnH4Y]2+ Zn2+ to the interface, which is confirmed by the sluggish ion
complex is more stable than solvated [Zn(H2O)6]2+ (Figure mobility of the electrolytes containing EDTA as additive
2c). The substitution of H2O by EDTA may effectively inhibit (Figure 2b) and the increased charge transfer resistance of the
the chemical corrosion of electrolyte on the Zn anode. The symmetric cells (Figure S3). Moreover, the stronger binding
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Figure 5. Cross-section and surface morphology of Zn anodes cycled for 100 h in (a, d) ZSO electrolyte and (b, e) ZSO electrolyte with EDTA,
and (c, f) after cycling for 500 h in electrolyte with EDTA.

affinity of Zn2+ with H4Y compared to H2O makes it more most organic molecules are preferentially adsorbed on the
difficult to break the solvation sheath with respect to the protrusions of electrode and hinder the robust deposition of
reduction of Zn2+, thus leading to an increased nucleation Zn.
overpotential.42 To optimize the concentration of the electrolyte additive,
The adsorption of EDTA on Zn foil was verified by the electrochemical stability of Zn foil in various EDTA-based
differential capacitance measurements. As shown in Figure 2d, electrolytes was evaluated by galvanostatic cycling (Figure 4a).
the capacitance for the electrolyte systems containing EDTA Obviously, the Zn anode exhibits enhanced cycling stability in
was much lower than that for the blank ZSO electrolyte. When the EDTA added electrolytes. In ZSO-EDTA-0.04 electrolyte,
the concentration of EDTA was 0.04 mol L−1, the electrode it presents the best reversibility of 3000 h (1500 cycles) at 2
presented the lowest capacitance, indicating that saturation was mA cm−2 with an areal capacity of 2 mAh cm−2, superior to the
achieved for the adsorption of EDTA on the Zn anode. poor performance (failure after ∼60 h) in blank ZSO
Contact angle measurements indicated that the electrolytes electrolyte. Concentrations lower or higher than 0.04 M
with EDTA had an enhanced affinity for Zn (Figure 2e). DFT exhibited relatively poor cycling stability. This may have been
calculations also revealed that the functional groups of EDTA because at the lower concentrations the incomplete complex-
endowed the EDTA on the Zn foil with a good adsorption ing of Zn2+ and the partly covered Zn foil cannot effectively
capability (Figure 2f), thus ensuring an abundance of activated control the nucleation process. Conversely, for increased
sites that would contribute to the generation of refined EDTA concentrations, the overpotential is increased, benefit-
nucleation grains with good uniformity.43 Moreover, foreign ing for dendrite-free Zn deposition. However, excessive
adsorbed molecules on the surface of electrode can improve concentrations cause sluggish ion mobility, thus deteriorating
the activation energy for adatoms diffusion, thus restraining the the cycling performance. The electrochemical properties of the
2D surfacial ion diffusion, which may lead to dendrite cells with EDTA were further evaluated at higher current
growth.17 densities. As shown in Figure 4c, long-term stability for 1600 h
XPS measurements were conducted to provide additional is realized with the plating capacity of 4 mAh cm−2, this value
evidence for the effects of EDTA on the Zn anode. In the full being about 10 times that for the blank ZSO electrolyte, thus
survey spectra (Figure 3a), C, O, Zn, and S were clearly further confirming the improvement of cycling stability with
detected for the electrode after 10 cycles. The high-resolution EDTA as additive. The comparison data shown in Figure 4e
C 1s spectra present typical bonds for C−H, C−C, C−O/C− and Table S1 indicate that Zn anodes exhibit enhanced and
N, and CO at 284.2, 284.9, 285.4, and 289.4 eV, respectively stable cycling performance for electrolytes with EDTA in
(Figure 3b). The presence of N in the full survey spectra is not comparison to most previously optimized electro-
clear, but from the high-resolution spectra, the typical bonds lytes.15,21,42,44−55
for N−C (399.4 eV) and N−H (402.5 eV) associated with N The CE of Zn plating/stripping in ZSO-EDTA-0.04
1s are evident (Figure 3c). electrolyte was measured to evaluate the practicality of the
The above results all point to the existence of EDTA on the electrolyte additive. As shown in Figure S4, Figure 4b, and
Zn surface. In an additional experiment, Ar+ sputtering was Figure 4d, unlike the fluctuating CEs in blank ZSO electrolyte,
undertaken in an attempt to characterize the different depths more stable CEs with average values of 99.36%, 99.68%, and
of the deposition layer. When the sputtering times increased to 99.87% were obtained at 1, 2, and 4 mA cm−2, respectively, for
500 and 1000 s, the intensities of the C 1s (Figure 3d) and N the Cu−Zn cell in ZSO-EDTA-0.04 electrolyte. These high
1s (Figure 3e) peaks gradually decreased and eventually values can be attributed to the impression of dendrite growth
disappeared, while those for Zn 2p gradually increased (Figure and side reactions. As shown in the ex situ XRD patterns
3f), indicating that the mass concentration of EDTA on the (Figure S5), characteristic peaks for Zn(OH)2 (JCPDS No. 38-
surface was higher than in the internal deposition layers. It can 385) and Zn4SO4(OH)6 (JCPDS No. 39-689) can clearly be
be confirmed that EDTA was indeed absorbed on Zn anode. seen for the Zn anode extracted from the blank ZSO
The absorbed EDTA may also act as a leveling agent because electrolyte after 10 cycles, which are not observed in the
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Figure 6. Electrochemical properties of the Zn−V2O5 full cells: (a) CV curves measured at a scan rate of 0.05 mV s−1. (b) Rate performance
measured from 0.2 to 2 A g−1. (c) Voltage profiles of the cell in EDTA-based electrolyte at a current density of 2 A g−1 for different cycles. (d)
Cycling performance of the full cells at a current density of 2 A g−1.

electrolytes with EDTA, indicating that the formation of delivers a high and stable CE approaching 100% and high
inactive byproducts is greatly suppressed by EDTA. The average specific capacities of 368, 354, 315, and 258 mAh g−1
formation of the characteristic peaks for Zn(OH)2 and at various current densities of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 A g−1,
Zn4SO4(OH)6 can be attributed to the transformation of the respectively. The improved rate performance in EDTA-based
solvation configuration around Zn2+, which may retard the electrolyte may be attributed to the suppressed dendrite
occurrence of side reactions,27,56 thus contributing to the high growth and side reactions, which could contribute to the
CE values. improved charge transfer kinetics of the Zn anode. The
To further confirm the effect of EDTA on Zn deposition, charge/discharge curves of the cells display two pairs of
surficial morphology change of the electrode after long-term charge/discharge plateaus (Figure 6c), agreeing well with the
plating/stripping was studied by SEM. As shown in Figures 5a CV curves. The long-term cycling stability was further
and 5d, after 100 h cycling at 1 mA cm−2, the Zn anode in measured at various current densities. At a current density of
blank ZSO electrolyte exhibited a rough surface composed of 1 A g−1, the cell with EDTA additive displays a high discharge
massive flake-like byproducts with a thickness of ∼10 μm, thus capacity of 310.2 mAh g−1 and maintains 217.4 mAh g−1 at the
demonstrating severe corrosion from the surface to the 500th cycle (Figure S8). At a higher current density of 2 A g−1
interior, while the cycled electrode in EDTA-based electrolyte (Figure 6d), both of the cells show high CE values of nearly
exhibited a dense and flat surface without protrusions or cracks 100%. Moreover, a high reversible capacity of 199.7 mAh g−1
(Figures 5b and 5e). Even after cycling for 500 h, the anode was obtained for the electrolyte with EDTA after 500 cycles,
presented no obvious changes in morphology (Figures 5c and demonstrating good cycling stability. However, much more
5f). The compact Zn film may contribute to the improved severe fading of the capacity occurred for the cell with the
charge transfer of the cells by using EDTA additive (Figure blank ZSO electrolyte, which may result from the serious
S6). This confirmed that EDTA can effectively regulate passivation and dendrite growth of the Zn anode. The cycling
nucleation and inhibit dendrite growth even after long-term performance of the cell with higher V2O5 mass loading of 5.0
cycling. The uniform elemental distribution (Figure S7) of the mg cm−2 is shown in Figure S9. The cell with EDTA-based
Zn anode after 500 h further indicates the adsorption of electrolyte delivers a high initial capacity of 320.3 mAh g−1 at
EDTA. Therefore, EDTA can regulate Zn deposition over a the current density of 1 A g−1 and still remains at 140.5 mAh
g−1 after 100 cycles.
long time period.
The practical utility of the electrolytes containing EDTA was
studied by evaluating the performance of hybrid Zn−V2O5 full 4. CONCLUSIONS
cells. The CV curves (Figure 6a) of the cells presented two A simple and effective strategy for stable Zn anode, based on
pairs of redox peaks at 0.75, 0.6 V and 1.0, 0.8 V, respectively, the use of EDTA electrolyte additive, has been demonstrated.
indicating the two-step insertion/extraction of Zn2+ in On one hand, the strong chelation between EDTA and Zn2+
V2O5.57,58 Clearly, for the electrolyte with EDTA, the cathodic extends polarization during the initial deposition process and
peaks shift in a negative direction, and the anodic peaks shift generates more nucleation sites, thus refining the crystal grains
positively slightly compared with those obtained in blank ZSO and inducing uniform Zn deposition. On the other hand, the
electrolyte, indicating the improved electrochemical kinetics in adsorption of EDTA on Zn foil also contributes to the uniform
the presence of EDTA. The rate performance measurements deposition. Moreover, the transformation of the solvation
(Figure 6b) show that the cell using EDTA-based electrolyte configuration of Zn2+ helps to suppress side reactions. The
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symmetric cell delivers a high CE of 99.36% and long cycle life ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
of 4000 h in the ZSO electrolyte containing 0.04 M EDTA. This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of
The Zn−V2O5 battery also displays good performance in terms Jiangsu Province (No. BK20211352) and the Postgraduate
of improved rate capability (258 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1) and long- Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province
term cycling stability (199.7 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 2 A (No. KYCX20_2241).


g−1).


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Complete contact information is available at:
additive enabled long-life rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries.
https://pubs.acs.org/10.1021/acsaem.1c03558
Nano Energy 2019, 62, 275−281.
(16) Shen, Y.; Liu, B.; Liu, X.; Liu, J.; Ding, J.; Zhong, C.; Hu, W.
Notes Water-in-salt electrolyte for safe and high-energy aqueous battery.
The authors declare no competing financial interest. Energy Storage Mater. 2021, 34, 461−474.

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