Sorption and Utilization of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Rechargeable Zinc-Ion Batteries

Date

2025

Authors

Zhu, Y.
Wang, Y.
Wang, B.
Tan, X.
Yang, Z.
Yu, C.
Chen, Z.
Li, X.
Kong, D.
Liu, S.

Editors

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Type:

Journal article

Citation

Small, 2025; 21(39):e07204-1-e07204-12

Statement of Responsibility

Yutong Zhu, Yiqing Wang, Biao Wang, Xiao Tan, Zhuojing Yang, Chunrong Yu, Zhou Chen, Xuemei Li, Dehui Kong, Sailin Liu, Jianfeng Mao, Zaiping Guo, Lianzhou Wang, and Cheng Zhang

Conference Name

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic fluorinated organic compounds linked to severe health issues, highlighting the urgent need for environmentally sustainable remediation strategies. Here, an integrated PFAS sorption and utilization strategy for remediation is reported through incorporating into rechargeable aqueous zinc battery systems at room temperature. As a representative PFAS compound, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is successfully sorbed on zinc surface via hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, with over 98% removal efficiency, and partially defluorinated into zinc fluoride after 24 h, enabling their application as an anode protective layer for improved battery performance. This layer enhances electrochemical performance by suppressing dendrite growth and self-corrosion, exhibits stable long-term cycling in Zn|Zn symmetric cell under various current densities (1–10 mA cm⁻²). Additionally, Zn|sodium-treated vanadium oxide full cells show improved cycling stability, with >80% capacity retention after 2500 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹, compared to bare zinc with <40%, demonstrating prolonged and reliable performance. No detectable PFOA residual remains after battery cycling, suggesting consumption of PFOA and ensuring environmental safety. This work highlights the potential of metal-based PFAS sorption strategy, bridging the gap between sorption and utilization, offering innovative solutions to transform this persistent water contaminant into a valuable battery component.

School/Discipline

Dissertation Note

Provenance

Description

Access Status

Rights

© 2025 The Author(s). Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

License

Call number

Persistent link to this record