03170nas a2200301   4500008004100000022001400041245013900055210006900194260000800263300001600271490000700287520214300294653001302437653003002450653002902480653001402509653003002523653003302553100001902586700001802605700001802623700002502641700001702666700001602683700002502699700002002724856012402744       2023                        eng d  a1944-824400aMitigating dendrite formation on a Zn electrode in aqueous zinc chloride by the competitive surface chemistry of an imidazole additive0 aMitigating dendrite formation on a Zn electrode in aqueous zinc   cMAY  a23093-231030 v153 a<p>
	Electrochemical energy storage systems are critical in several ways for a smooth transition from nonrenewable to renewable energy sources. Zn-based batteries are one of the promising alternatives to the existing state-of-the-art Li-ion battery technology, since Li-ion batteries pose significant drawbacks in terms of safety and cost-effectiveness. Zn (with a reduction potential of -0.76 V vs SHE) has a significantly higher theoretical volumetric capacity (5851 mAh/cm3) than Li (2061 mAh/cm3), and it is certainly far less expensive, safer, and more earth-abundant. The formation of dendrites, hydrogen evolution, and the formation of a ZnO passivation layer on the Zn anode are the primary challenges in the development and deployment of rechargeable zinc batteries. In this work, we examine the role of imidazole as an electrolyte additive in 2 M ZnCl2 to prevent dendrite formation during zinc electrodeposition via experimental (kinetics and imaging) and theoretical density functional theory (DFT) studies. To characterize the efficacy and to identify the appropriate concentration of imidazole, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and chronoamperometry (CA) are performed with in situ monitoring of the electrodeposited zinc. The addition of 0.025 wt % imidazole to 2 M ZnCl2 increases the cycle life of Zn-symmetric cells cycled at 1 mA/cm2 for 60 min of plating and stripping dramatically from 90 to 240 h. A higher value of the nucleation overpotential is noted in the presence of imidazole, which suggests that imidazole is adsorbed at a competitively faster rate on the surface of zinc, thereby suppressing the zinc electrodeposition kinetics and the formation. X-ray tomography reveals that a short circuit caused by dendrite formation is the main plausible failure mechanism of Zn symmetric cells. It is observed that the electrodeposition of zinc is more homogeneous in the presence of imidazole, and its presence in the electrolyte also inhibits the production of a passivating coating (ZnO) on the Zn surface, thereby preventing corrosion. DFT calculations conform well with the stated experimental observations.</p>
10adendrite10aDensity functional theory10aexchange current density10aImidazole10aX-ray computed tomography10azinc metal electrodeposition1 aRana, Ashutosh1 aThakare, Anup1 aKumar, Nikhil1 aMukherjee, Buddhadev1 aTorris, Arun1 aDas, Bidisa1 aOgale, Satishchandra1 aBanerjee, Abhik  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/mitigating-dendrite-formation-zn-electrode-aqueous-zinc-chloride-competitive-surface