Alloying-mediated stability enhancement of zinc anodes for high-performance zinc-ion batteries

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have emerged as a core candidate system for next-generation electrochemical energy storage technologies due to their high safety, low cost, and abundant resources. However, their industrialization process is constrained by key issues, such as zinc dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reactions, and corrosion loss. Compared with the optimization of electrolyte components, the alloying modulation of the zinc anode represents a more direct strategy to enhance its stability. By introducing heterogeneous metal elements to form alloy phases with zinc, a multi-dimensional synergistic optimization of the electronic structure, crystal growth, and interfacial behavior can be achieved. This perspective systematically summarizes the research progress of the alloying strategy in the modification of zinc anodes for AZIBs and analyzes the core mechanisms of the alloying modulation. In particular, it focuses on regulating the d-band center at the electronic structure level to enhance Zn²⁺ adsorption, inducing the preferential deposition of Zn along the (002) crystal plane, and constructing buffer layers to reduce the electrode reaction activity. Moreover, the formation positions and functional modes of the alloy phases are elaborated. The perspective further points out the current challenges in research and prospects the development directions, aiming to provide theoretical support and technical reference for the design of high-stability zinc anodes and achieve overall performance improvement in AZIBs.