Vanadium Hexacyanoferrate Prussian Blue Analogs for Aqueous Proton Storage: Excellent Electrochemical Properties and Mechanism Insights

Abstract

AbstractThe significant attraction toward aqueous proton batteries (APBs) is attributable to their expedited kinetics, elevated safety profile, and economical feasibility. Nevertheless, their practical implement is significantly blocked by the unsatisfactory energy density due to the limited cathode materials. Herein, vanadium hexacyanoferrate Prussian blue analog (VOHCF) is introduced as a potentially favorable cathode material for APBs. The findings demonstrate that this VOHCF electrode exhibits a notable reversible capacity of 102.7 mAh g−1 and exceptional cycling stability, with 95.4% capacity retention over 10 000 cycles at 10 A g−1. It is noteworthy that this is the detailed instance of VOHCF being proposed as a cathode for APBs. Combining the in situ characterization techniques and theoretical simulations, the origins of excellent proton storage performance are revealed as the multiple redox mechanisms with double active centers of ─C≡N group and V═O bond in VOHCF as well as the robust structure stability. A proton full cell with excellent performance is further achieved by coupling the VOHCF cathode and diquinoxalino[2,3‐a:2′,3′‐c] phenazine (HATN) anode, demonstrating the great potential of VOHCF in practical applications. This work could provide fundamental understanding to the development of feasible cathode materials for proton storage device.