We report a bio-inspired design strategy for constructing anin situpolymeric SEI in aqueous Zn chemistry. This SEI can restrain interfacial side reactions, facilitate a uniform Zn²⁺flux, and consequently endow a highly stable Zn metal anode.

Zinc metal batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for next-generation batteries due to their high safety and low cost. However, their practical applications are severely hampered by the poor cyclability that caused by the undesired dendrite growth of metallic Zn. Herein, Ti₃C₂T_x MXene was first used as electrolyte additive to facilitate the uniform Zn deposition by controlling the nucleation and growth process of Zn. Such MXene additives can not only be absorbed on Zn foil to induce uniform initial Zn deposition via providing abundant zincophilic-O groups and subsequently participate in the formation of robust solid-electrolyte interface film, but also accelerate ion transportation by reducing the Zn²⁺ concentration gradient at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Consequently, MXene-containing electrolyte realizes dendrite-free Zn plating/striping with high Coulombic efficiency (99.7%) and superior reversibility (stably up to 1180 cycles). When applied in full cell, the Zn-V₂O₅ cell also delivers significantly improved cycling performances. This work provides a facile yet effective method for developing reversible zinc metal batteries.

Hierarchical porous ZnCo₂O₄microspheres are successfully synthesized and display attractive supercapacitive performance in 2 M KOH.

The Co(TAPC) additive can be preferentially adsorbed on the Zn anode surface to create a dense zincophilic molecular layer. The layer could promote the desolvation of Zn²⁺and redistribute the Zn²⁺flux, resulting in smooth and stable Zn deposition.