Construction of three-dimensional ordered structure of crystalline bismuth for long life aqueous nickel-bismuth batteries

The poor cycling life hindered the progression of aqueous nickel-based batteries. Herein, a facile electrodeposition approach was employed to design a three-dimensional lamellar Bi anode (TL-Bi) on nickel foam with a long-term cycling stability for rechargeable aqueous Ni//Bi batteries. The areal capacity of the TL-Bi electrode was 0.19 mA h cm −2 at 4 mA cm −2 in a three-electrode system. Also, the fabricated Ni//Bi battery constituted through an as-obtained TL-Bi anode and a NiO cathode delivered an excellent power density specific capacity of 14.4 mW cm −2 and exceptional durability (retaining 94.1% after 4500 cycles) in an aqueous electrolyte. With the merits of safe and easy to operate, this simple available pressing method may inspire new development for reversible aqueous batteries.