An optimization strategy for carbon fiber composite electrodes toward high-performance V2O5-based zinc-ion flexible batteries

In integrated zinc-ion structural batteries, the design and fabrication of carbon fiber (CF) composite electrodes present considerable work, particularly because CFs exhibit inferior conductivity compared with traditional metal foils, which hinders their use as current collectors. This work employs silver-plated CFs as current collectors for both electrodes in zinc-ion flexible batteries for the first time and achieves electrodes with robust mechanical strength and substantial energy storage performance. For the cathode, commercial V 2 O 5 is coated onto silver-plated CFs, which effectively leverages the electrochemical benefits of vanadium oxides to deliver a high specific capacity of 320 mAh g −1 and 87% capacity retention after 1500 cycles at 2 A g −1 . On the anode, zinc is electrodeposited onto the CFs, where the silver layer improves deposition efficiency and yields a homogeneous coating. This work demonstrates an optimization strategy for CF composite electrodes, which holds potential value for structural energy storage and flexible electronic device applications.