A nanoconfinement-driven interface boosts zinc deposition kinetics toward dendrite-free zinc anodes

Abstract

Dendrite growth and side reactions are two major obstacles for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) in the field of stationary energy storage. While constructing a corrosion-resistant interface is an effective approach to stabilize the zinc anode, slow deposition kinetics at this interface remains a significant challenge. Herein, we construct an ion-conducting Zn-based MOF (Zn-BTC) layer on the zinc anode by an anodic growth method. The Zn-BTC layer effectively mitigates interfacial corrosion by physically separating zinc from the electrolyte. Moreover, the multiscale nanopore architecture of Zn-BTC creates nanoconfined environments that manipulate ion transport behaviors and thus boost deposition kinetics. As a result, the Zn-BTC@Zn symmetric cell achieves an ultra-stable cycle life of over 3000 h and a low polarization voltage of 30 mV at 1 mA cm⁻² and 1 mAh cm⁻², compared to bare Zn (less than 300 h, 42 mV), respectively. Furthermore, the Zn-BTC@Zn//NH₄V₄O₁₀ full cell maintains a capacity of 91.5 mAh g⁻¹ after 10 000 cycles at 3 A g⁻¹, with a capacity retention rate of 65.8%. This work proposes a new interfacial layer with rich multiscale pore structure, which can effectively inhibit the growth and corrosion of zinc dendrites and can also be applied to other metal anodes.