Multi-field coupling inhibits dendrite growth in zinc electrodeposition

A electro-deposition morphology of zinc metal under different external fields was studied to effectively address the key issues such as safety risks and reduced cycle life caused by uncontrollable dendrite growth in traditional zinc metal batteries. The synergistic mechanism of current density and external field conditions on dendrite growth was particularly explored. The dendrite growth conditions of zinc metal under different current densities were tested by applying magnetic fields, ultrasound, and temperature fields separately. The results show that all three external fields can improve the zinc deposition morphology. The magnetic field promotes the convection of the electrolyte through the Lorentz force, the temperature field enhances the ion mobility by reducing the solution viscosity, and the ultrasound achieves micro-region stirring through the cavitation effect. These mechanisms jointly strengthenes the mass transfer process in the electrolyte. Especially in the case of applying ultrasound, a current density of 15 mA/cm2 is still guaranteed to be free of dendritic dendrite deposition.