Controlling Defects in Graphene Film for Enhanced-Quality Current Collector of Zinc-Ion Batteries with High Performance

Zinc-ion Batteries (ZIBs) are currently considered to be effective energy storage devices for wearable electronics because of their low cost and high safety. Indeed, ZIBs show high power density and safety compared with conventional lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and exhibit high energy density in comparison with supercapacitors (SCs). However, in spite of their advantages, further current collector development is needed to enhance the electrochemical performance of ZIBs. To design the optimized current collector for high performance ZIBs, a high quality graphene film is suggested here, with improved electrical conductivity by controlling the defects in the graphene film. The graphene film showed improved electrical conductivity and good electron transfer between the current collector and active material, which led to a high specific capacity of 346.3 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 100 mA g^-1, a high-rate performance with 116.3 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 2,000 mA g^-1, and good cycling stability (68.0 % after 100 cycles at a current density of 1,000 mA g^-1). The improved electrochemical performance is firmly because of the defects-controlled graphene film, leading to improved electrical conductivity and thus more efficient electron transfer between the current collector and active material.