Citation: Sida Zhang, Huaping Mei, Baoyu Li, Feilin Yu, Kaxin Wang, Ruduan Yuan, Ziga Luogu, Zhixian Zhang, Xiqian Hu, Jianxin Wang, Xuetao Duan, Pinyi Wang, Wanlong Wu, Qianzhi Gou, Meng Li, Weigen Chen. Modulating the solvation sheath via bio-inspired electrolyte additives towards dendrite-free aqueous zinc ion batteries[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(4): 111174. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111174 shu

Modulating the solvation sheath via bio-inspired electrolyte additives towards dendrite-free aqueous zinc ion batteries

Sida Zhang ^a ,
Huaping Mei ^{b, c} ,
Baoyu Li ^{d, *,} ,
Feilin Yu ^b ,
Kaxin Wang ^b ,
Ruduan Yuan ^b ,
Ziga Luogu ^b ,
Zhixian Zhang ^f ,
Xiqian Hu ^a ,
Jianxin Wang ^a ,
Xuetao Duan ^a ,
Pinyi Wang ^a ,
Wanlong Wu ^e ,
Qianzhi Gou ^{c, *,} ,
Meng Li ^{b, *,} ,
Weigen Chen ^{a, *,}

a.
State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment Technology, School of Electrical Engineering, National Innovation Center for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
b.
National Innovation Center for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage, MOE Key Laboratory of Low-grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems, CQU-NUS Renewable Energy Materials & Devices Joint Laboratory, College of Energy & Power Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
c.
School of Building Services Science and Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
d.
State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
e.
Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China
f.
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China

Received Date: 7 January 2025
Revised Date: 22 March 2025
Accepted Date: 2 April 2025
Available Online: 3 April 2025

Figures(5)

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have drawn numerous attention due to their low cost and environmental benefits. However, its commercialization process was hindered by issues, such as uncontrolled dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions. Inspired by the natural interaction between Zn²⁺ and amino acid chains in zinc finger proteins, we introduced L-proline (LP), a cost-effective additive, into the aqueous electrolyte to stabilize the Zn anode. In combination with experiments and theoretical calculation results, it is demonstrated that the LP additive tends to reshape the hydrated Zn²⁺ solvation sheath and weaken the free H₂O activity, thereby restricting the water-induced parasitic reactions and drastic dendrite growth. Therefore, the Zn symmetrical cells with LP-containing electrolytes delivered an excellent superior electrochemical performance, including a long-term calendar lifespan of 3400 h at 2 mA/cm² and nearly 450 h at 5 mA/cm². Meanwhile, the as-assembled Zn||MnO₂ full cells also showed desired cycling stability and rate performance with the assistance of LP additive, outperforming the ZnSO₄ system. This intriguing bio-inspired strategy provides a valuable insight for improving the longevity of AZIBs and advancing their development in energy storage.
- Aqueous zinc-ion batteries,
- Electrolyte additive,
- Bio-inspired design concept,
- Zn metal anode,
- Solvation sheath
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