Bi-defect sites are highly effective for CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) to formic acid, yet most catalytic surfaces predominantly feature inert, non-defective Bi sites. To overcome this limitation, herein, tensile strain is introduced on wholescale non-defective Bi sites. Under rapid thermal shock, the Bi-based metal-organic framework (Bi-MOF-TS) shows weakened Bi–O bonds and produced tiny Bi clusters. During electrochemical reduction, these clusters create numerous continuous vacancies, inducing weak tensile strain over a large range of surrounding non-defective Bi sites. This strain enhances *OHCO intermediates adsorption and substantially lowers the reaction barrier. As a result, Bi-MOF-TS achieves a faradaic efficiency above 90% across 800 mV potential range, with an impressive formate partial current density of −995 ± 93 mA cm⁻². Notably, Bi-MOF-TS exhibits a high HCOOH faradaic efficiency of 96 ± 0.64% at 400 mA cm⁻² in acidic electrolyte and a high single-pass carbon conversion efficiency (SPCE) of 62.0%. Additionally, a Zn-CO₂ battery with Bi-MOF-TS as the cathode demonstrates a peak power density of 21.4 mW cm⁻² and maintains stability over 300 cycles.

A core–shell MnCo₂O₄@NiMoO₄ nanowire array prepared using a facile hydrothermal method showed extraordinary rate capability as a cathode for supercapacitors.

Layered polyaniline intercalated V ₂ O ₅ with an expanded layer of ∼1.55 nm exhibits an extremely high ammonium storage capacity.

Aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries (ARZIBs) have received unprecedented attention owing to the low cost and high-safety merits. However, their further development and application are hindered by the issues of electrodes such as cathode dissolution, zinc anode dendrite, passivation, as well as sluggish reaction kinetics. Designing heterostructure electrodes is a powerful method to improve the electrochemical performance of electrodes by grafting the advantages of functional materials onto the active materials. In this review, various modified heterostructure electrodes with optimized electrochemical performance and wider applications are introduced. Moreover, the synergistic effect between active materials and functional materials are also in-depth analyzed. The specific modification methods are divided into interphase modification (electrode-electrolyte interphase and electrode-current collector interphase) and structure optimization. Finally, the conclusion and future perspective on the optimization mechanism of functional materials, and the cost issue of practical heterostructure electrodes in ARZIBs are also proposed. It is expected that this review can promote the further development of ARZIBs towards practical utility.