Interfacial polarization triggered by glutamate accelerates dehydration of hydrated zinc ions for zinc-ion batteries

The huge activation energy barrier during the dehydration of hydrated zinc ions ([Zn(H2O)6]2+ → 6H2O + Zn2+) of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) has limited their capacity and hindered their development. Here, we report a novel and efficient method for accelerating the dehydration of hydrated zinc ions through interfacial polarization triggered by glutamate. Using MoS2 as a research model, the specific capacity of the MoS2 adsorbed by glutamate (Glu-MoS2) increased from 72 mAh g−1 to 182 mAh g−1, which is 2.5 times the original specific capacity. Different from changing the structure of materials, surface treatment also can significantly improve performance. In addition, there is a reversible phase conversion from the 2H phase to the 1 T phase during the charging and discharging process of Glu-MoS2, which plays an important role in optimizing the performance. The interfacial polarization caused by glutamate to reduce the activation energy of dehydration provides a new strategy to increase the capacity of ZIBs.