On the Dendrite-Suppressing Effect of Laser-Processed Polylactic Acid-Derived Carbon Coated Zinc Anode in Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries.

A major bottleneck limiting the commercialization of aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) is dendrite formation on the zinc (Zn) anode during the plating/stripping process, which leads to rapid deterioration in performance and, consequently to the device failure. In this regard, researchers are trying to design more stable anodes toward suppressing dendrite formation. One possible solution to tackle this problem and to extend the cycling life of AZIBs is to modify the zinc anode surface by coating carbonaceous materials, enabling more controlled charge flux and uniform ion distribution. This work reports sustainable and bio-derived polylactic acid (PLA) as a coating layer on the zinc anode. Carbonizing this polymer under ambient conditions using a high-power nanosecond laser forms a carbon-coated zinc foil, which was directly utilized as the anode in aqueous zinc ion batteries. The fabricated laser-processed PLA-derived carbon-coated zinc anode demonstrated an extended cycling life of almost 1600 hours, significantly outperforming the bare zinc anode. A full aqueous zinc ion battery assembled from as-modified anode and as-prepared V2O5 nanofibers as cathode was able to deliver a specific capacity of 238 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 with a capacity retention of 70 % after 1000 cycles.