A dual conducting network corbelled hydrated vanadium pentoxide cathode for high-rate aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are widely recognized for their excellent safety and high theoretical capacity but are hindered by the scarcity of cathode materials with high-rate performance and stability. Herein, a dual conducting network corbelled hydrated vanadium pentoxide that involves structural water as a pillar to enlarge the layer spacing of vanadium pentoxide and ensure cycling stability was reported. Along with the proton co-insertion, the hydrated vanadium pentoxide delivers nearly theoretical specific capacities of 524.6 mA h g-1 at 0.3 A g-1 and 258.7 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1, which was largely due to non-faradaic contribution, and retains 196.8 mA h g-1 at 4.8 A g-1 after 1100 cycles. Notably, a high energy density of 409.3 W h kg-1 at 0.3 A g-1 and a power density of 6666.4 W kg-1 at 10 A g-1 have also been achieved. The design strategy offers a potential path to develop high-rate ZIBs.