Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) enjoy a good reputation for being safe, affordable to produce, and ecologically friendly due to the use of water‐based electrolytes. The main factors restricting the development of ZIBs, however, are the negative effects of dendrite deposition on the zinc anode and the dissolution of common cathodes such as Mn and V‐based cathodes. Various techniques have been used to address these issues, including regulating the electrolyte concentration or solvation structure, developing a coating or current collector to lessen anode dendrite growth, and improving the structural stability of the cathode. Recently, functionalized separator strategies have gained popularity as effective ways to improve ZIB performance. The use of a functionalized separator is also a practical technique to save costs and increase the volumetric energy density of the battery by substituting a functionalized separator for the usual thick and expensive glass fiber separator. The development of functionalized separators in ZIBs is the subject of ongoing research, and this work presents the most recent findings in a systematic manner, focusing on both the effects and the methods to prepare or modify them. Finally, a brief explanation of the constraints and future potential of current functionalized separator development is provided.

Increasing the energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries necessitates the maximization of their areal capacity, calling for thick electrodes with high sulfur loading and content. However, traditional thick electrodes often lead to sluggish ion transfer kinetics as well as decreased electronic conductivity and mechanical stability, leading to their thickness-dependent electrochemical performance. Here, free-standing and low-tortuosity N, O co-doped wood-like carbon frameworks decorated with carbon nanotubes forest (WLC-CNTs) are synthesized and used as host for enabling scalable high-performance Li-sulfur batteries. EIS-symmetric cell examinations demonstrate that the ionic resistance and charge-transfer resistance per unit electro-active surface area of S@WLC-CNTs do not change with the variation of thickness, allowing the thickness-independent electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. With a thickness of up to 1200 µm and sulfur loading of 52.4 mg cm⁻², the electrode displays a capacity of 692 mAh g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at 0.1 C with a low E/S ratio of 6. Moreover, the WLC-CNTs framework can also be used as a host for lithium to suppress dendrite growth. With these specific lithiophilic and sulfiphilic features, Li-S full cells were assembled and exhibited long cycling stability.

Recent advances in interfacial constructions between composite polymer electrolytes and electrodes are reviewed. Moreover, the mechanisms of the interfacial contact, ionic migration, and electrochemical reactions between them are highlighted.

This review provides an update on various strategies and perspectives for the development of aqueous zinc–iodine batteries, with a particular emphasis on the regulation of I ₂ cathodes and Zn anodes, electrolyte formulation and separator modification.

The sodium metal anode exhibits great potential in next-generation high-energy-density batteries due to its high theoretical capacity (1165 mA h g⁻¹) at low redox potential (−2.71 V versus standard hydrogen electrode) as well as the high natural abundance and low cost of Na resources. However, its practical application in rechargeable batteries is hindered by uncontrollable dendrite growth that leads to poor coulombic efficiency, short lifespan, infinite volume change and even safety issues during plating/stripping processes. Among various strategies, the application of skeletons for Na metal anodes demonstrates a positive influence on reducing local current density, inhibiting dendrite growth, and alleviating volume expansion. This work reviews the research progress of various skeleton materials for sodium metal anodes in recent years, including carbon-based skeletons, alloy-based skeletons, metallic skeletons and MXene-based skeletons. Simultaneously, the recent technological advances and strategies are summarized and categorized. Finally, we discuss the development prospects and research strategies of skeleton materials in sodium metal anodes from the perspective of basic research and practical applications.