Constructing oxygen deficiency-rich V₂O₃@PEDOT cathode for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted widespread attention due to the advantages of high safety and environmental friendliness. Although V₂O₃ is a promising cathode, the strong electrostatic interaction between Zn²⁺ and V₂O₃ crystal, and the sluggish reaction kinetics still limit their application in AZIBs. Herein, the oxygen defects rich V₂O₃ with conducive poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) shell (V₂O₃-O_d@PEDOT) was fabricated for AZIBs by combining the sulfur-assisted thermal reduction and in-situ polymerization method. The introduced oxygen vacancies of V₂O₃–O_d@PEDOT weaken the electrostatic interaction between Zn²⁺ and the host material, improving the interfacial electron transport, while the PEDOT coating enhances the structural stability and conductivity of V₂O₃, thus accelerating the reaction kinetics. Based on the advantages, V₂O₃–O_d@PEDOT electrode delivers a reversible capacity of 495 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.1 A·g⁻¹, good rate capability (189 mAh·g⁻¹ at 8.0 A·g⁻¹), and an impressive cycling stability with 90.1% capacity retention over 1000 cycles at 8.0 A·g⁻¹. The strategy may provide a path for exploiting the other materials for high performance AZIBs.