Enhancing the hydrogen ion adsorption capacity to improve the performance of an aqueous zinc ion battery of V2O5

In acidic aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), the insertion and escape of zinc ions are always accompanied by hydrogen ions, but the effect of hydrogen ion adsorption capacity on the performance of zinc-ion batteries has hardly been discussed. Herein, a sea urchin-like Ni-V2O5 is obtained to estimate the effect of hydrogen ion adsorption capacity. Due to the interaction of nickel with oxygen, Ni-V2O5 exhibits an excellent hydrogen ion adsorption capacity compared to pristine V2O5. The improvement in hydrogen ion adsorption capacity directly optimizes the charge and discharge performance of AZIB. The Zn//Ni-V2O5 battery exhibits a specific capacity of 313 mA h g−1 and a high energy density of 240 Wh kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1. This provides a new viewpoint for the charging and discharging mechanism of AZIBs.