Zijiong Li

The practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely hindered by uncontrolled zinc dendrite growth and parasitic reactions arising from intrinsic inhomogeneous ion flux and electric field concentration at the anode interface. Herein, we propose a rational interfacial engineering strategy by integrating a sustainable, hierarchical porous carbon interlayer (RC-5) derived from reed catkins onto a commercial glass fiber (GF) separator. The RC-5, activated by KOH, possesses a high specific surface area (3259.52 m² g⁻¹) and abundant oxygen functional groups. This functional layer acts as a multifunctional regulator that optimizes the separator's pore structure, enhances electrolyte wettability, and, more importantly, homogenizes the interfacial electric field and Zn²⁺ flux. Consequently, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell with the RC-5-GF separator achieves an ultralong lifespan of 880 hours at 0.5 mA cm⁻², exhibiting a 13-fold improvement over the pristine GF separator. Combined experimental characterizations and COMSOL simulations reveal that the RC-5 layer effectively mitigates the "tip effect" and guides uniform zinc deposition. This work provides a low-cost, eco-friendly route to stabilize zinc anodes by manipulating interfacial electrochemistry through biomass resources.

The practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely hindered by uncontrolled zinc dendrite growth and parasitic reactions arising from intrinsic inhomogeneous ion flux and electric field concentration at the anode interface. Herein, we propose a rational interfacial engineering strategy by integrating a sustainable, hierarchical porous carbon interlayer (RC-5) derived from reed catkins onto a commercial glass fiber (GF) separator. The RC-5, activated by KOH, possesses a high specific surface area (3259.52 m² g⁻¹) and abundant oxygen functional groups. This functional layer acts as a multifunctional regulator that optimizes the separator's pore structure, enhances electrolyte wettability, and, more importantly, homogenizes the interfacial electric field and Zn²⁺ flux. Consequently, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell with the RC-5-GF separator achieves an ultralong lifespan of 880 hours at 0.5 mA cm⁻², exhibiting a 13-fold improvement over the pristine GF separator. Combined experimental characterizations and COMSOL simulations reveal that the RC-5 layer effectively mitigates the "tip effect" and guides uniform zinc deposition. This work provides a low-cost, eco-friendly route to stabilize zinc anodes by manipulating interfacial electrochemistry through biomass resources.

A major bottleneck for the practical application of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) lies in dendrite growth and side reactions on zinc anodes, as these issues significantly curtail their cycle life. This study develops an ecofriendly, low‐cost protective coating using natural aloe vera powder (Pro‐Zn) on zinc foil. The coating leverages anionic polysaccharides (e.g., acetylated glucuronic acid) to form a flexible barrier that suppresses dendrites and hydrogen evolution. Electrochemical tests demonstrate exceptional stability: Pro‐Zn||Zn symmetric cells achieve 1,400 h at 2.52.5 mAh cm ⁻² with ultralow polarization (62 vs. 256.7 mV for bare Zn), while Pro‐Zn|| δ ‐MnO ₂ full cells retain 98.7% capacity after 1,000 cycles at 1 A g ⁻¹ (vs. 26.8% for bare Zn). In situ optical, SEM, and XPS analyses confirm uniform Zn deposition and reduced byproducts. This work pioneers natural aloe vera as a scalable, sustainable solution for high‐stability AZIBs.

Cathode materials are usually the key to determining battery capacity, suitable cathode materials are an important prerequisite to meet the needs of large‐scale energy storage systems in the future. Polyanionic compounds have significant advantages in metal ion storage, such as high operating voltage, excellent structural stability, safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness, and can be excellent cathode options for rechargeable metal‐ion batteries. Although some polyanionic compounds have been commercialized, there are still some shortcomings in electronic conductivity, reversible specific capacity, and rate performance, which obviously limits the development of polyanionic compound cathodes in large‐scale energy storage systems. Up to now, many strategies including structural design, ion doping, surface coating, and electrolyte optimization have been explored to improve the above defects. Based on the above contents, this paper briefly reviews the research progress and optimization strategies of typical polyanionic compound cathodes in the fields of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and other promising metal ion batteries (sodium ion batteries (SIBs), potassium ion batteries (PIBs), magnesium ion batteries (MIBs), calcium ion batteries (CIBs), zinc ion batteries (ZIBs), aluminum ion batteries (AIBs), etc.), aiming to provide a valuable reference for accelerating the commercial application of polyanionic compound cathodes in rechargeable battery systems.