Tightly confined tellurium nanocrystals in few-layer expanded graphite with Te–C bonds toward highly reversible zinc storage

Tellurium (Te) has great potential as high-performance cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to high electronic conductivity and volumetric capacity. Nevertheless, its poor utilization and large volume expansion result in insufficient rate and cycle performances, thereby, impeding practical application. Herein, a kind of Te/carbon composite was prepared via a ball-milling method, in which Te nanocrystals were tightly confined in few-layer expanded graphite (EG) with Te–C bonds (denoted as Te@EG). In addition to maintaining structural stability, such unique nanocomposite shows abundant electrochemically active sites and efficient charge transfer channels, which is beneficial to the utilization of Te. More importantly, the Te–C bonds between Te nanocrystals and EG can enhance the adsorption of Zn2+ and reduce the Zn2+ migration barrier, which contributes to promoting electrochemical kinetics. Consequently, the Te@EG cathode for the AZIBs exhibits sufficient specific capacity (412 mAh g–1 at 0.1 A g–1), high-rate performance (284 mAh g–1 at 3 A g–1), and reliable cycling stability (94% capacity retention at 1 A g–1 after 500 cycles). Furthermore, the soft-packaged Zn//Te@EG battery delivers excellent flexibility and cycling stability. This study offers a perspective on rational design of Te-based cathodes for practical AZIBs.