Employing cationic kraft lignin as electrolyte additive to enhance the electrochemical performance of rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion battery

• A novel lignin-based electrolyte additive—QL 80 was designed for zinc-ion batteries. • The reversibility of zinc operated in the QL 80 modified electrolyte was improved. • When the dosage of QL 80 was 1 wt%, the overall performance of battery was the best. Rechargeable Zn//MnO 2 batteries, the most widely studied aqueous zinc-ion batteries, suffer from poor electrochemical performance due to a series of issues on the zinc anode including corrosion, dendrites, and passivation. In this study, abundant and low-cost kraft lignin is used as a raw material to synthesize quaternized lignin (QL 80 ), which is upgraded to an electrolyte additive for the Zn//α-MnO 2 battery (ReZMB). According to corrosion and chronoamperometry tests, the electrolyte containing 1 wt% of the QL 80 (named as 1 % QL 80 ) has the lowest corrosion on the zinc electrode and is best able to promote the homogenous zinc deposition. Consequently, the ReZMB using the 1 % QL 80 records the highest open-circuit voltage after storage at full charge state and the optimal rate capability, and meanwhile, the Zn//Zn symmetric battery exhibits an extended lifespan of 200 h at 5 mA·cm −2 , 5 mAh·cm −2 . In addition, the passivation of the zinc anode is highly prevented because no byproducts appear on the zinc anode of the ReZMB with 3000 cycles at 1.5 A·g −1 , according to the results of XRD and SEM characterizations. Ultimately, the ReZMB using the 1 % QL 80 presents more outstanding cyclability (more stable operation and ∼74.5 % higher discharge capacity after 3000 cycles at 1.5 A·g −1 ) than that of the battery using the reference electrolyte (2 M ZnSO 4 + 0.2 M MnSO 4 ). This study paves the new way for designing green lignin-derived electrolyte additives for advanced rechargeable zinc-ion batteries.