Achieving Ultrahigh Energy Density and Long Durability in a Flexible Rechargeable Quasi-Solid-State Zn-MnO2 Battery.

TLDR: The first paradigm of a high-performance and stable flexible rechargeable quasi-solid-state Zn-MnO2 battery is constructed by engineering MnO2 electrodes and gel electrolyte, which achieves an admirable energy density and peak power density substantially higher than most recently reported flexible energy-storage devices.

Abstract: Advanced flexible batteries with high energy density and long cycle life are an important research target. Herein, the first paradigm of a high-performance and stable flexible rechargeable quasi-solid-state Zn–Mn2 battery is constructed by engineering MnO2 electrodes and gel electrolyte. Benefiting from a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) buffer layer and a Mn2+-based neutral electrolyte, the fabricated Zn–Mn2@PEDOT battery presents a remarkable capacity of 366.6 mA h g−1 and good cycling performance (83.7% after 300 cycles) in aqueous electrolyte. More importantly, when using PVA/ZnCl2/MnSO4 gel as electrolyte, the as-fabricated quasi-solid-state Zn–Mn2@PEDOT battery remains highly rechargeable, maintaining more than 77.7% of its initial capacity and nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency after 300 cycles. Moreover, this flexible quasi-solid-state Zn–Mn2 battery achieves an admirable energy density of 504.9 W h kg−1 (33.95 mW h cm−3), together with a peak power density of 8.6 kW kg−1, substantially higher than most recently reported flexible energy-storage devices. With the merits of impressive energy density and durability, this highly flexible rechargeable Zn–Mn2 battery opens new opportunities for powering portable and wearable electronics.