High-performance TAP/NH₄V₄O₁₀ cathode toward substantially expedited zinc energy storage

The utilization of cathode materials possessing high capacity and elevated operating voltage is of utmost significance for the advancement of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Yet, the classical organic cathodes suffer from a low capacity, while high-capacity materials (e.g., vanadium based materials) exhibit poor cycle stability. In this work, organic (tris(aza)pentacene)–inorganic (vanadium oxide) hybrid cathodes, that is, TAP/NH₄V₄O₁₀, are designed for ultrahigh-capacity rate and ultralong-life ZIBs. The existence of gaps in NH₄V₄O₁₀ layers provides space for accommodating the organic molecule TAP, facilitating its entry and effectively suppressing the stacking phenomenon of organic molecules. The 3D flower-like structure of TAP/NH₄V₄O₁₀ maintains a larger contact area with the electrolyte, promoting rapid ion transfer between the cathode and electrolyte, thus fully utilizing abundant active sites. Assistant density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate the interaction within the TAP/NH₄V₄O₁₀. The TAP/NH₄V₄O₁₀ exhibits a high specific capacity (382.4 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.04 A g⁻¹), elevated voltage (1.5 V) and excellent long-term cycle stability (exceeding 2000 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹). The interesting idea of using TAP/NH₄V₄O₁₀ cathode materials opens up a new research direction for high-energy zinc-ion batteries.