3D-printed Ti/graphene composite current collectors for high-voltage aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have significant promise as large-scale energy storage devices due to their high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, their application has been constrained by limited operational voltage windows. A high-voltage-resistant Ti-graphene-Ti cathode current collector (TGT) was designed and fabricated by three-dimensional (3D) printing. The surface of the TGT has a Ti x O y protective layer, which effectively suppresses electrolyte decomposition under high voltage conditions so that the voltage window of the battery is extended to 1.0–2.2 V without the obvious formation of by-products. Simultaneously, the graphene layer in the TGT structure significantly improves the adsorption and insertion/extraction kinetics of cations, resulting in a high specific capacity of 307.5 mAh g −1 and a prolonged cycling life of the battery. The resultant AZIBs have a stable charge/discharge performance over 400 cycles at a high voltage. Furthermore, the influence of the geometric arrangements of Ti and graphene in the 3D printing process on the energy storage mechanism was investigated and provided novel insight for the development of high-voltage-resistant composite cathode current collectors for AZIBs. Download: Download high-res image (151KB) Download: Download full-size image