Multiphilic-Zn group “adhesion” strategy toward highly stable and reversible zinc anodes

Abstract

The application of aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) has been bottlenecked by the dendritic problems and complex side reactions of zinc anodes, although it shows great potential for application. Herein, we propose a strategy for reconstructing the electric double layer on the Zn surface by chemisorption of sodium hyaluronate (SH) to assist in regulating the charge distribution on the zinc surface and limiting the selective diffusion of zinc ions. Experiments and theoretical calculations confirm that the adsorbed functional groups allow the water molecules originally free on the surface of the zinc anode to be squeezed out and form a water-poor state, thus establishing the zinc anode-SH molecular interface and leading to an electrical double-layer reconstruction; In addition, the strong interaction between Zn and SH induces the directional deposition of Zn towards the (002) crystal plane, thus constituting a homogeneous and compact deposition interface. Due to the powerful dynamic regulation of SH, the Zn anode exhibits an impressive runtime of 6300 h with stable and reversible zinc deposition/stripping efficiency and low-temperature performance. This strategy of inducing directional Zn deposition via organic functional groups offers a new perspective for future Zn anode and safeaqueous cell design.