Progress and prospect of vanadates as aqueous zn-ion batteries cathodes

With the increasing pursuit of electronic products with high specific energy and outstanding environmental compatibility, developing advanced new power sources is urgent. As the representative of new energy, rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have gained much focus recently in the field of energy storage owing to their advantages of safety, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, the progression of suitable Zn-storage cathode materials remains a huge challenge, limited by commercial requirements. Vanadate, as an advanced inorganic material, has been a major object of scientific research due to its flexible valence states and the multi-electron transfer mechanism of vanadium. Undeniably, understanding the electrochemical Zn-storage properties and mechanisms of this class of materials plays a crucial role in facilitating their development. However, there is a paucity of reviews on vanadates as cathodes for aqueous ZIBs. This review concentrates on the application of vanadates in aqueous ZIBs, which facilitates researchers to understand the latest research progress on vanadate-based cathodes for ZIBs. Finally, the limitations of current vanadate-type cathodes are pointed out and the perspectives for their application in emerging energy storage areas are presented.