Long-Lasting Zinc–Iodine Batteries with Ultrahigh Areal Capacity and Boosted Rate Capability Enabled by Nickel Single-Atom Electrocatalysts

Zinc–iodine (Zn–I2) batteries have garnered significant attention for their high energy density, low cost, and inherent safety. However, several challenges, including polyiodide dissolution and shuttling, sluggish iodine redox kinetics, and low electrical conductivity, limit their practical applications. Herein, we designed a highly efficient electrocatalyst for Zn–I2 batteries by uniformly dispersing Ni single atoms (NiSAs) on hierarchical porous carbon skeletons (NiSAs-HPC). In situ Raman analysis revealed that the conversion of soluble polyiodides (I3– and I5–) was significantly accelerated using NiSAs-HPC because of the remarkable electrocatalytic activity of NiSAs. The resulting Zn–I2 batteries with…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 22022505, 21872069, 22005003
• AU
  Anhui University of Technology

  Awards: DT2100000947, DT19100069
• JS
  Jiangsu Science and Technology Department

  Award: BK20220008
• SR
  Scientific Research Foundation of Education Department of Anhui Province of China

  Awards: 2022AH050323, 2022AH030046, 2022AH050334
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2017YFA0208200
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Awards: 020514380272, 020514380274, 020514380266