Luo Zhang

The practical deployment of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is critically limited by uneven Zn²⁺ flux, uncontrolled dendrite growth, and concurrent parasitic reactions—notably the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and anode corrosion—arising from interfacial and kinetic instability during repeated plating/stripping cycles. These issues originate at the zinc anode–electrolyte interface, underscoring the necessity of advanced interfacial engineering. Here, we report a surface-confined polyphenol-derived interphase formed on zinc foil through a 1 min dip treatment in a dilute aqueous solution of a commercial tea polyphenol (TP) mixture (0.02 M); after rinsing and drying, the modified electrode is cycled in a conventional electrolyte to which no TP is deliberately added. This interphase promotes more homogeneous nucleation behaviour through coordination between phenolic oxygen-containing moieties and Zn²⁺, improves electrolyte contact homogeneity and perturbs the local water structure to mitigate water-mediated parasitic reactions. The TP-derived surface modification creates a substantially altered interfacial charging environment (Cdl = 47.25 vs. 16.83 µF cm⁻² for bare Zn) that facilitates more uniform zinc deposition. Symmetric cells with TP@Zn anodes demonstrated exceptional cycling stability exceeding 4000 h at 1 mA cm⁻² and 1 mAh cm⁻² (bare Zn fails within ~240 h under identical conditions), while TP@Zn//V₂O₅ full cells retained 56.2% capacity after 300 cycles at 0.5 A g⁻¹ with a higher median discharge voltage than bare Zn cells, substantially outperforming the latter (31.1% retention). Density functional theory calculations using the selected cluster models yield a markedly more negative electronic interaction energy for Zn²⁺ with an EGCG model ligand (−10.97 eV) than with H₂O (−4.49 eV), qualitatively supporting preferential coordination of Zn²⁺ by phenolic oxygen sites. This work presents a green, facile and potentially scalable interfacial regulation strategy and advances the understanding of natural polyphenols as pre-formed surface conditioners for highly reversible metal anodes.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for grid-scale storage due to their safety, low cost, and environmental benignity. However, water-dipole enrichment in the inner Helmholtz plane (IHP) of Zn anodes triggers hydrogen evolution, corrosion, and dendrites, limiting cycle life. We report a trace “ionic liquid–polar solvent coupling” strategy: adding only 0.01 M EMIMBF₄ and 0.03 M DMSO to 2 M ZnSO₄ electrolyte. Hydrophobic EMIM⁺ adsorbs on the IHP to expel interfacial water, while BF₄⁻ enters the primary solvation shell and DMSO penetrates both first and second shells of Zn²⁺, forming a water-deficient coordination environment. This interfacial–solvation synergy suppresses parasitic reactions and directs preferentially oriented Zn deposition exclusively along the (101) facet, enabling dense vertical plating and in situ formation of a compact, inorganic-rich SEI (ZnCO₃–ZnSO₃–Zn(OH)₂). Consequently, Zn||Zn cells cycle stably for >5362 h at 1 mA cm⁻²/1 mAh cm⁻²; Zn||Cu cells achieve 1300 cycles with 99.8% average Coulombic efficiency; and Zn||V₂O₅ full cells retain 326.4 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles. This work shows that minimal additive loading can simultaneously engineer the electrode–electrolyte interface and crystallographic deposition pathway, offering a simple yet robust design for ultra-stable AZIBs.

A non-flammable carbonate electrolyte (LiTFSI/FEC/TTE) forms LiF-rich SEI/CEI, enabling stable cycling of NCM811∥Gr batteries at 4.5 V.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted significant attention for large-scale energy storage owing to their high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, issues such as dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and corrosion at the zinc anode severely limit their cycling stability. In this study, a “synergistic solvation shell–interfacial adsorption regulation” strategy is proposed, employing potassium gluconate (KG) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as composite additives to achieve highly reversible zinc anodes. DMSO integrates into the Zn²⁺ solvation shell, weakening Zn²⁺-H₂O interactions and suppressing the activity of free water, while gluconate anions preferentially adsorb onto the zinc anode surface, inducing the formation of a robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) enriched in Zn(OH)₂ and ZnCO₃. Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR), Raman, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) analyses confirm the reconstruction of the solvation structure and reduction in water activity, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) verifies the formation of the SEI layer. Benefiting from this strategy, Zn||Zn symmetric cells exhibit stable cycling for over 1800 h at 1 mA cm⁻² and 1 mAh cm⁻², and Zn||Cu cells achieve an average coulombic efficiency of 96.39%, along with pronounced suppression of the hydrogen evolution reaction. This work provides a new paradigm for the design of low-cost and high-performance electrolyte additives.