A groundbreaking study titled "Dynamic Imine Chemistry Enables Paintable Biogel Electrolytes to Shield On-Body Zinc-Ion Batteries from Interfacial Interference" was recently published in Journal of the American Chemical Society (IF=14.4). This research represents a collaborative effort led by Associate Professor Yang Jun from College of Material Science and Technology at Beijing Forestry University, in partnership with Associate Professors Zhou Guangmin and Qin Peiwu from singhua Shenzhen International Graduate School.

On-body batteries with hydrogel electrolytes are a pivotal enabling technology to drive bioelectronics for healthcare and sports, yet they are prone to failure due to dynamic interfacial interference, accompanied by e-waste production. Here, dynamic imine chemistry is proposed to design on-electrode paintable biogel electrolytes that feature temperature-controlled reversible phase transition (gelling within 1.5 min) and ultrafast self-healing capability (6s), establishing a dynamically self-adaptive interface on cyclically deforming electrodes for shielding on-body Zn-ion batteries from interfacial interference. Consequently, the deformed Zn anode shows an exceptional cycling stability of 400 h regardless of the bending radius, and the as-assembled Zn–I2 battery delivers sufficient durability to endure 5000 deformation cycles, together extending to 1300 h and 15 000 deformation cycles via dynamically restarting the interfacial electric field, respectively. Also, the features of recyclability, biodegradation, and biocompatibility make the proposed on-body Zn–I2 batteries appealing in terms of sustainability and biosafety, enabling their successful power supply of heart rate monitors in sports. This work demonstrates the promise of dynamic biogel chemistry for green and biorelated energy-storage systems.

Fu Qingjin, a 2023 doctoral graduate from College of Material Science and Technology, BFU (currently a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School), along with Liu Xidie, a 2022 master student from the same college, are the co-first authors of the paper.

Paper link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.4c14645

Written by Yang Jun
Translated and edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang