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Unstable Zn interface with serious detrimental parasitic side‐reactions and uncontrollable Zn dendrites severely plagues the practical application of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. The interface stability was closely related to the electrolyte configuration and Zn2+ depositional behavior. In this work, a unique Zn‐ion anchoring strategy is originally proposed to manipulate the coordination structure of solvated Zn‐ions and guide the Zn‐ion depositional behavior. Specifically, the amphoteric charged ion additives (denoted as DM), which act as zinc‐ion anchors, can tightly absorb on the Zn surface to guide the uniform zinc‐ion distribution by using its positively charged −NR4+ groups. While the negatively charged −SO3− groups of DM on the other hand, reduces the active water molecules within solvation sheaths of Zn‐ions. Benefiting from the special synergistic effect, Zn metal exhibits highly ordered and compact (002) Zn deposition and negligible side‐reactions. As a result, the advanced Zn||Zn symmetric cell delivers extraordinarily 7000 hours long lifespan (0.25 mA cm−2, 0.25 mAh cm−2). Additionally, based on this strategy, the NH4V4O10||Zn pouch‐cell with low negative/positive capacity ratio (N/P ratio=2.98) maintains 80.4 % capacity retention for 180 cycles. A more practical 4 cm*4 cm sized pouch‐cell could be steadily cycled in a high output capacity of 37.0 mAh over 50 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising candidates for grid‐energy storage due to their safety and cost‐effectiveness. However, the detrimental hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and dendrite growth on Zn‐metal anodes severely limit their applications. Herein, trace hydrophobic hyamine (HQA, 0.78 mmol L−1) is introduced as an electrolyte additive to improve the electrochemical performance of the Zn anode. Experiments and theoretical calculations revealed that cationic HQA can preferentially adsorb onto the anode surface to inhibit the HER and promote the uniform distribution of Zn ions by forming a water‐lean electric double layer (EDL). Moreover, the oriented adsorption of HQA induced exposure of the Zn (002) plane and prevented dendrite growth. Therefore, the symmetric cells using the HQA‐containing electrolyte exhibited stable cycle performance for more than 1600 h. Even at a high‐density current of 5 mA cm−2, it has a high cumulative capacity of 3250 mAh cm−2. It exhibited an excellent deep‐discharge performance (80%) with a stable cycle for 175 h. The Zn||NH4V4O10 full cell exhibited a high specific capacity and cycle stability at 4.0 A g−1 due to the excellent reversibility of Zn anode. These results provide a new and low‐cost approach for electrolyte design and EDL optimization of high‐performance zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uneven zinc‐ion flux and interfacial contact between the anode and electrolyte trigger malignant dendrites and byproducts, significantly hindering the practical application of zinc‐metal batteries. Herein, a H‐bonded supramolecular organic framework (HSOF) is proposed to help regulate Zn2+ flux and stabilize interfacial chemistry. The self‐assembled supermolecule structures by in‐plane H‐bond networks firmly trap water molecules to assist Zn2+ de‐solvation and block interfacial corrosion. The abundant polar groups provide strong guidance for Zn2+ distribution, ensuring homogeneous, and rapid ion transport‐deposition kinetics. Meanwhile, the π–π stacked space‐layout structure affords preferred Zn(002) plane stacking for smooth and flat growth. Benefiting from these advantages, the HSOFs are employed on Zn surface for interfacial adjustment and on separator decoration for spatial manipulation, successfully realizing an overall "interface‐space" dual‐regulation effect. It delivers over 3000 h for the HSOF@Zn anode in symmetric cell and up to 5000 h for HSOF‐decorated separator in Zn||Zn symmetric cell, respectively. The HSOF@Zn||V2O5 full cell with the HSOF‐decorated separator demonstrates enhanced capacity retention of 92.7% after 2500 cycles at 5 A g−1. The full cell can be easily scaled up into a pouch cell, which still has a capacity retention rate of 94% after 1000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing electrode materials with high tap density, low cost, and superior performance poses a formidable challenge in electrochemistry. The impressive performance exhibited by most electrodes comes at the expense of tap density and cost, severely limiting their practical applications. Here, combining computational and experimental results, an approach for the electrode materials with high tap density and rich heterostructure (Cu2S/Na2Sn) from cheap copper smelting slag enabled by an electrochemical process is proposed, reducing the diffusion energy barrier from 0.82 to 0.28 eV for Na+, as well as delivering an impressively high tap density of 3.32 g cm−3. Furthermore, the electrochemical activation process that irreversibly generates more stable Cu2S and Na2Sn after the first charge progress of parent materials is also revealed by in/ex situ analytical techniques. As expected, assembled sodium ion capacitors (SICs) achieve high energy density (74.4 Wh kg−1) at high power density (20 000 W kg−1) with outstanding capacity retention of 81.5% after 10 000 cycles, delivering over 76% of its energy density in 13.4 s, which surpasses the performance achieved by state‐of‐the‐art SICs. This work not only provides novel insights into irreversibly conversion‐type anodes but also introduces a method for efficient value‐added utilization of smelting slag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The robust organic/inorganic hybrid interlayer derived from in situ formed tribofilms were fabricated by using a scalable rolling method. The interlayer facilitates dendrite-free lithium metal anodes by building local de-solvation environments near the interface and inhibiting both dendrite growth and electrolytes corrosion. The symmetrical cell exhibits a remarkable lifespan of 5,600 h (1.0 mA cm-2 and 1.0 mAh cm-2) and 1,350 cycles even at a harsh condition (18.0 mA cm-2 and 3.0 mAh cm-2). The practical application of Li metal anodes (LMAs) is limited by uncontrolled dendrite growth and side reactions. Herein, we propose a new friction-induced strategy to produce high-performance thin Li anode (Li@CFO). By virtue of the in situ friction reaction between fluoropolymer grease and Li strips during rolling, a robust organic/inorganic hybrid interlayer (lithiophilic LiF/LiC6 framework hybridized -CF2-O-CF2- chains) was formed atop Li metal. The derived interface contributes to reversible Li plating/stripping behaviors by mitigating side reactions and decreasing the solvation degree at the interface. The Li@CFO||Li@CFO symmetrical cell exhibits a remarkable lifespan for 5,600 h (1.0 mA cm−2 and 1.0 mAh cm−2) and 1,350 cycles even at a harsh condition (18.0 mA cm−2 and 3.0 mAh cm−2). When paired with high-loading LiFePO4 cathodes, the full cell lasts over 450 cycles at 1C with a high-capacity retention of 99.9%. This work provides a new friction-induced strategy for producing high-performance thin LMAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zn metal anode is subject to uncontrolled dendrites and parasitic reactions, which often require a big thickness of Zn foil, resulting in excess capacity and extremely low utilization. Here, an ultrathin Zn composite anode (24 µm) is developed with a protective hydrophobic layer (covalent (C2F4)n chains and F‐doped carbonized ingredient) constructed on Cu foil (denoted as (C2F4)n‐C@Cu) as a host by one‐step pyrolytic evaporation deposition. The repulsion of (C2F4)n to Zn2+ makes the (C2F4)n‐C@Cu interface possess enhanced adsorption ability, driving more charge transfer under the layer. With its good hydrophobicity, this layer prevents H2O from damaging the plated Zn. Combined with the semi‐ionic‐state fluorine as zincophilic site, the host guides uniform and dense Zn deposition for making ultrathin Zn anode. As a result, the (C2F4)n‐C@Cu electrode exhibits high average CE of 99.6% over 3000 cycles at 2 mA cm−2. Benchmarked against the commercial 20µm‐Zn foil, the (C2F4)n‐C@Cu@Zn anode achieves enhanced stability (1200 h at 1 mA cm−2), only 100 h for the 20µm‐Zn foil. When paired with V2O5 cathode, the Zn composite anode makes the full cell deliver 88% retention for 2500 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc batteries usher in a renaissance due to their intrinsic security and cost effectiveness, bespeaking vast application foreground for large‐scale energy storage system. However, uncontrolled dendrite growth along with hydrogen evolution severely restricts its reversibility and stability for practical application. Herein, the surface of Zn metal is reconstructed with metallic particles (In, Sn, In0.2Sn0.8) to diminish surface defects and regulate Zn deposition behavior. The alloyed In–Sn greatly activates the Zn surface for lower Zn adsorption energy barrier to expedite plating kinetics and confine Zn aggregation. Dense and uniform deposition of Zn on the reconstructed surface significantly prevents the Zn substrate from dendrites growth for catastrophic damage. Meanwhile, alloy layer embodies high hydrogen evolution overpotential, ensuring high plating and stripping efficiency for Zn anode. Consequently, In0.2Sn0.8 reconstructed surface realizes long‐term lifespan up to 1800 h with low polarization (12 mV) at the condition of 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2. When paired with sodium vanadate (NVO) cathode, the full cell steady operates for a high‐capacity retention of 94.0% after 5000 cycles at 5 A g−1. This study provides new insights into the surface‐defects dependent Zn deposition process and offers a guide for constructing stable surface for dendrite‐free Zn growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difficulty in matching cathode and anode kinetics due to slow ion transport in anodes constrains the development of lithium‐ion capacitors. Heterogeneous structures with built‐in electric field can promote lithium‐ion migration and improve the anode reaction kinetics. However, the valence evolution of metal elements in heterostructures during charging/discharging processes is often overlooked. Inspired by theoretical calculations, transition metal selenides heterostructures (FeSe2/CoSe2) with low migration energy barriers (Eb = 0.35 eV) are successfully engineered and fabricated. As expected, the designed heterostructure material exhibits outstanding rate performance (512 mAh g−1 at 30 A g−1) and ultra‐high pseudocapacitance contribution (98.02% at 1.0 mV s−1), exceeding the state‐of‐the‐art values for anodes. Impressively, synchrotron X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (SXAS) and ex situ XPS find that the valence states of the Fe and Co elements in the heterogeneous structure gradually increase as charging and discharging proceeds, inducing a continuous climb in reversible specific capacity, while further reducing the migration energy barrier in the heterogeneous structure (Eb = 0.20 eV). This work reveals that the valence states of iron and cobalt elements increase as charging and discharging proceeds, providing theoretical guidance for improving the anode kinetics and revealing the capacity rise mechanism of other transition metal compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries are inherently safe, but the severe dendrite growth and corrosion reaction on zinc anodes greatly hinder their practical applications. Most of the strategies for zinc anode modification refer to the research of lithium metal anodes on surface regulation without considering the intrinsic mechanisms of zinc anode. Herein, we first point out that surface modification cannot permanently protect zinc anodes due to the unavoidable surface damage during the stripping process by solid–liquid conversion. A bulk‐phase reconstruction strategy is proposed to introduce abundant zincophilic sites both on the surface and inside the commercial zinc foils. The bulk‐phase reconstructed zinc foil anodes exhibit uniform surfaces with high zincophilicity even after deep stripping, significantly improving the resistance to dendrite growth and side reactions. Our proposed strategy suggests a promising direction for the development of dendrite‐free metal anodes for practical rechargeable batteries with high sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc anode has been re‐evaluated due to the superiority in tackling safety and cost concerns. However, the limited lifespan originating from Zn dendritic and side reactions largely hamper commercial development. Currently, the coating prepared by simple slurry mixing is leaky and ineffectively isolate sulfate and water. Herein, inspired by the DFT calculations and the easy hydrolysis characteristic of MIL‐125 (Ti), an in‐situ grown high‐dense TiO2‐x solid electrolyte interphase (HDSEI) with rich oxygen vacancies is successfully constructed in an aqueous electrolyte, in which the oxygen vacancies not only strengthen the hydrogen binding force thereby inhibiting the hydrogen precipitation by‐reaction, but also reduce the migration energy barrier of zinc ions and enhance the mechanical properties. Profiting from the HDSEI, symmetric Zn cells survive up to remarkable 4200 h at 1 mA cm−2, nearly 42‐times than that of bare Zn anodes. In situ optical microscopy clearly reveals that the in situ grown HDSEI homogenizes the zinc deposition process, while bare zinc without HDSEI shows significant dendrites, confirming the protective nature of HDSEI. Furthermore, full Zn ion capacitors can deliver excellent electrochemical performance, providing a feasible in situ approach to construct HDSEI to implement dendrite‐free metal anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous Zn‐ion energy‐storage deviceswith metal Zn as anodes, including batteries and capacitors (ZIBs and ZICs), is largely hindered by dendritic growth and low coulombic efficiency since the side reactions between Zn anodes and electrolyte, originating fromthat targeted and efficient isolation of H2O and SO42− is extremely challenging. Herein, inspired by density functional theory (DFT) that the 2D angstrom level metal‐organic framework(2D‐MOF) is highly selective for the passage of ions, simultaneously excluding the SO42− and H2O but allowing Zn2+ selective conduction. Moreover, 2D‐MOF exhibits better mechanical strength compared with 3D‐MOF, which is more conducive to inhibit dendrite growth. Impressively, benefiting from the 2D‐MOFlayer, symmetric Zn cells survived up to 2000 h at 4 mA cm−2,near 20‐times that of bare Zn anodes. Coupling it with cathode for ZICs and ZIBs, excellent electrochemical performances are presented. Importantly, symmetric Na cells with 2D‐MOF as ionic sieve membrane also deliver small polarization and outstanding performance, indicating that this study provides an efficient strategy to develop long‐life metal anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) is significantly limited by the poor reversibility of the zinc anodes, including rampant dendrite growth and severe interfacial side‐reactions. Herein, trace hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) additive with a lone‐pair‐electron containing heterocycle is introduced for Zn metal anode protection. Specifically, the trace added HMTA can change the solvated structure by strong interaction with zinc ions, and preferentially absorb on the anode surface to in situ establish an unique anode–molecule interface. Such an interface not only shows strong affinity to promote the dynamic transmission and deposition of Zn2+ ions but also displays a role in suppressing parasitic reactions. Consequently, a zinc anode in an electrolyte with trace HMTA achieves a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.75%, and delivers a remarkable lifespan over 4000 h at 5 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2 in a Zn//Zn symmetric cell. Even under a deep plating/stripping condition (5 mA cm−2 and 5 mAh cm−2), it can still run almost for 600 h. Additionally, the Zn//V2O5 full cell with HMTA retains a high capacity retention of 61.7% after 4000 cycles at 5 A g−1. Such an innovative strategy is expected to be of immediate benefit to design low‐cost AZBs with ultra‐long lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a highly stable and dendrite‐free zinc anode is essential to the commercial application of zinc metal batteries. However, the understanding of zinc dendrites formation mechanism is still insufficient. Herein, for the first time, we discover that the interfacial heterogeneous deposition induced by lattice defects and epitaxial growth limited by residual stress are intrinsic and critical causes for zinc dendrite formation. Therefore, an annealing reconstruction strategy was proposed to eliminate lattice defects and stresses in zinc crystals, which achieve dense epitaxial electrodeposition of zinc anode. The as‐prepared annealed zinc anodes exhibit dendrite‐free morphology and enhanced electrochemical cycling stability. This work first proves that lattice defects and residual stresses are also very important factors for epitaxial electrodeposition of zinc in addition to crystal orientation, which can provide a new mechanism for future researches on zinc anode modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most commonly used zinc foil anode for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries suffers from poor cycle stability and low zinc utilization. Zinc‐plated anodes on the host materials with high zincophilicity and stability are receiving increasing attention to alleviate these above issues. Here, the high zinc deposition activity of Cu (2 2 0) is confirmed through experimental observations and theoretical calculations and then Cu (2 2 0) substrates are prepared with the highly preferred orientation through an industrial electrolysis strategy. The prepared Cu (2 2 0) substrate can consistently modulate dense zinc growth by inducing the Zn (0 0 1) growth with the lowest surface energy and exposing high‐index zinc facets due to its exceptional grain size, high deposition activity, and homogeneous crystal orientation, which result in the high zinc plating/stripping reversibility of this Cu (2 2 0) substrate. When assembled into the Zn//MnO2 battery, the zinc‐plated Cu (2 2 0) can deliver capacity retention of 93.9% after 640 cycles at high zinc utilization (≈20%). This scalable orientation design strategy provides a new perspective for realizing dendrite‐free metal deposition with special textures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building an artificial interphase layer for tackling uncontrollable Zn dendrites and serious side reactions is a highly desirable strategy, but it is often hampered by the limited Zn2+ transport. Here, a stable fluorine‐doped amorphous carbon (CF) artificial layer is constructed on a Cu current collector (CF‐Cu) via facile carbonization treatment of a fluoropolymer coating to realize underlying Zn deposition. As evidenced experimentally and theoretically, this inorganic CF layer with ionic conductivity and electronic insulation successfully triggers dendrite‐free Zn deposition at the CF‐Cu interface with preferred Zn(002) crystal plane stacking parallel to the substrate surface, thus greatly promoting the inhibition of Zn‐dendrites and blocking of interfacial side reactions. The introduced fluorine atoms as abundant zincophilic sites play an important role in driving fast zinc‐ion transfer kinetics, which can partly convert into ZnF2 as an artificial solid Zn2+ conductor to further guide uniform Zn deposition. Consequently, the CF‐Cu electrode enables high reversibility with 99% coulombic efficiency and a long cycling stability of 1900 cycles at 2 mA cm–2. The integrated CF‐Cu@Zn anode achieves up to 2200 h cycles with a low voltage polarization. This study provides inspiration for the design of artificial interphase layers for stable nondendritic metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi-doped carbon dots (Bi-CDs) with rich polar groups and good compatibility were employed as co-deposition electrolyte additives to homogenize Li+ flux for dendrite-free Li deposition. High coulombic efficiency (99.0%) and long-term stability (800 h) with reduced overpotential (∼15 mV) were achieved after introducing Bi-CDs in conventional electrolyte for high-performance Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncontrollable dendrite growth and complex interfacial reactions are still challenging issues hindering the practical applications of lithium (Li) metal anode. A variety of materials are widely studied to regulate the surface properties of Li metal anode except for the lithiophobic materials. This study shows that a double lithiophobic sandwich structure can induce uniform Li deposition to suppress Li dendrite growth at the nucleating stage. A hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) particle layer on Cu foil (h‐BN@Cu) is prepared as the research target to intensely explore the fundamental role of the lithiophobic h‐BN layer on the diffusion and nucleation behavior of Li on the Cu surface. The h‐BN layer makes the h‐BN@Cu interface possess lower adsorption energy and more substantial charge transfer, leading to the "h‐BN‐Li‐Cu" sandwich deposition mode. Theoretical calculations, in situ monitoring, and experimental tests confirm the relevance between uniform Li deposition and the h‐BN@Cu interface structure. The h‐BN@Cu anode enables a significantly improved lifespan (over 550 h) compared to the Cu anode and enhanced cycling stability when assembled in whole cells with LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode. This discovery provides a new insight into h‐BN and other lithiophobic materials as a protective layer to improve the Li deposition behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicene, as a two‐dimensional (2D) nanostructure of silicon with many active sites for charge distribution, suitable space to control the volumetric strain, and an adjustable bandgap has attracted more attention as an anode for lithium‐ion batteries. Nitrogen, with a small radius and high electronegativity, is pretty good to form an n‐type configuration of silicene. Herein, single‐crystal silicene with adjusting nitrogen atoms at pyrrolic and graphitic sites in the graphene layer is identified by XRD, XPS, and Raman analyses for nitrogen‐doped graphene/silicene (NG/SNS) composite. Electrochemical performance of silicene exhibits the first intercalation/deintercalation capacity of 1030/768 mAh/g with 74 % Columbic efficiency (CE) at a current density of 10 mA/g, whereas NG3‐SNS with 0.3 g NG precursor shows the first intercalation/deintercalation capacity of 795/600 mAh/g with 75.4 % CE. Interestingly, NG3‐SNS indicates a stable specific capacity of ∼600 mAh/g at 200th cycle with 100 % CE and a second volumetric capacity of 3352 mAh/cm3 with 80 % retention after 200 cycles at a current density of 100 mA/g. Subsequently, the high electronegativity of nitrogen results in lone pair in both hybridized configurations of graphitic‐NG and pyrrolic‐NG; which may cause effortless adsorption/desorption of Li+‐ion at the nitrogen sites, as well as, pyrrolic sites help to develop diffusion of Li+‐ion and graphitic sites help to accelerate the kinetics and surface‐controlled contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) have appealed increasing attention due to the inexpensive K‐element resources and satisfactory electrochemical properties. Presently, there are still challenges for developing desirable anode materials. Two‐dimensional metal sulfides exhibit high specific capacity as host for PIBs, yet the dissolution and agglomeration of unstable reaction intermediate KxSy (K2S, K2S5) inescapability induces large loss of active ingredients and poor reactions reversibility, leading to inferior lifespan. Herein, polar polysulfide VS4 is introduced into SnS nanosheets with constructing layered VS4/SnS heterostructure anchored in graphene scaffold (VS4/SnS@C). In this framework, VS4 with unsaturated bridging (S2)2– can act as the anchoring sites to stabilize intermediates KxSy with efficient entrapment effects. Moreover, the heterostructure can maintain layered SnS and regulate the distribution of KxSy with high conversion reversibility. The reaction reversibility and intermediate absorptivity are enhanced, as confirmed by in situ X‐ray diffraction analysis and theoretical calculations. Consequently, the VS4/SnS@C electrode exhibits ultra‐long lifespans, which achieves a capacity of 168.4 mAh g–1 at 1 A g–1 after 6000 cycles. This strategy of heterostructure design facilitates the understanding of K‐storage mechanisms and significantly enhances the reaction reversibility, providing a thought to address the challenges in metal sulfide anodes toward the development of high‐performance PIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) featuring abundant oxygen functional groups has been elaborately designed to enhance Zn reversibility. Importantly, –OH and C＝O groups as active sites could redistribute the Zn2+ concentration field and modulate the plating/stripping rate, further enabling uniform Zn deposition without dendrite growth. The Zn@KGM anode enables an advanced Zn-ion supercapacitor to deliver an impressive rate performance and cycling stability (up to 5000 cycles accompanied by a coulombic efficiency of 99.8%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of Bi/C composites is a common approach to alleviate the severe volume expansion of Bi alloy‐based anodes with a high theoretical capacity of 3800 mAh cm−3 for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the complicated and tedious synthetic routes restrict its large‐scale preparation and practical applications. Herein, a spongiform porous Bi/C composite (marked as Bi@PC) through the carbothermal reduction (CTR) method is constructed. Bi nanodots are in situ confined in a porous carbon substrate activated by the gases produced from the decomposition of the sodium phytate precursor, indicating the feasibility and simplicity of this route. In charge/discharge processes, Bi nanodots embedded in carbon matrix are effective enough to accommodate the strain change and shorten the migration distance. In addition, the porous carbon forms an efficient conductive network for electron shutting. When utilized for lithium storage, a superb capacity of 520 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 after 100 cycles and a satisfying long cyclic stability of 380 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 500 cycles are achieved. The excellent Li‐storage performance and this handy preparation method jointly make this Bi/C composite a potential anode for LIBs, and could inspire the preparation of other alloy‐type anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐efficiency energy storage technologies and devices have gained numerous attention because of their ever‐increasing requirement. Sodium‐ion capacitors (SICs), as a burgeoning electrochemical energy storage device, combine virtues of rechargeable batteries and electrochemical double layer supercapacitors, delivering both high energy–power density and long cycling life. In the past decades, great efforts have been made to find suitable anode material to conquer the kinetic imbalance between the battery‐type anode with sluggish bulk redox reaction and the capacitor‐type cathode with fast ion absorption/desorption process. By exploring high‐rate performance anode materials, the great reaction kinetic gap between cathodes and anodes can be narrowed down, which directly affects the energy–power densities of SICs. In this article, an overview of advanced battery‐type anode materials is offered for high‐performance SICs with an emphasis on anode structural design and improved energy–power density, including carbonaceous materials, metallic compounds, MXene, organic polymers, and so on. Furthermore, the implementation of presodiation for the sake of optimizing the SICs is also illustrated. Finally, the challenges faced and the perspectives for future developing trends of SICs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries have rapidly developed recently as promising energy storage devices in large‐scale energy storage systems owing to their low cost and high safety. Research on suppressing zinc dendrite growth has meanwhile attracted widespread attention to improve the lifespan and reversibility of batteries. Herein, design methods for dendrite‐free zinc anodes and their internal mechanisms are reviewed from the perspective of optimizing the host–zinc interface and the zinc–electrolyte interface. Furthermore, a design strategy is proposed to homogenize zinc deposition by regulating the interfacial electric field and ion distribution during zinc nucleation and growth. This Minireview can offer potential directions for the rational design of dendrite‐free zinc anodes employed in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering interfacial properties of metal‐sulfides toward excellent electrochemical capability is imperative for advanced energy‐storage materials. However, they still suffer from an unclear mechanism of capacity fading, along with ineffective physical–chemical evolution. Herein, a highly‐effective Sb2S3 with double carbon is designed with interfacial SbC bonds and double carbon, which boosts promoting of ion transferring and alleviates the separation of both active phases (Sb, S). Through "voltage‐cutting" manners, the key elements of capacity improvement about phase transitions are further determined. As expected, even at 5.0 A g−1, the lithium‐storage capacity remains about 674 mAh g−1. Utilized as sodium ion battery (SIB) anode, the rate capacity still reaches up to 366 mAh g−1 at 3.0 A g−1, much larger than that of Sb2S3. Obtaining the full cell of Ni–Fe Prussian blue analog versus M‐Sb2S3@DC, the reversible capacity is 330 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1. Supported by kinetic analysis, the excellent rate properties are determined by the surface‐controlling behaviors, mainly resulting from the decreased capacitive resistance and improved ion moving. Furthermore, the reassembling evolution of active phases is revealed in detail by ex situ techniques. This work is expected to offer significant insights into interfacial evolutions toward advanced energy‐storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for next‐generation batteries. However, the formation of zinc dendrites are the most severe problems limiting their practical applications. To develop stable zinc metal anodes, a synergistic method is presented that combines the Cu‐Zn solid solution interface on a copper mesh skeleton with good zinc affinity and a polyacrylamide electrolyte additive to modify the zinc anode, which can greatly reduce the overpotential of the zinc nucleation and increase the stability of zinc deposition. The as‐prepared zinc anodes show a dendrite‐free plating/stripping behavior over a wide range of current densities. The symmetric cell using this dendrite‐free anode can be cycled for more than 280 h with a very low voltage hysteresis (93.1 mV) at a discharge depth of 80 %. The high capacity retention and low polarization are also realized in Zn/MnO2 full cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering serious pollution from the traditional chemical synthesis process, the resource-rich, clean electrode materials are greatly desired. Conventional electrochemical performance improvement methods, such as quantum dot or coating, are complicated and costly. In this study, CuFeS2 with an enhanced cycle performance is prepared from natural ore chalcopyrite through simple flotation and acid leaching. We obtain micro-sized CuFeS2 with high yield and purity. Electrochemical measurement shows that the natural chalcopyrite with an EDD-S electrolyte displays a high initial charge capacity (992 mAh·g−1 at the initial discharge current density of 0.2 C), an excellent rate performance, and good cycle property. The discharge capacities are approximately 870, 850, 830, 800, 750, and 680 mAh·g−1 at current densities of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1, and 2 C, respectively. When the current density is reduced back to 0.1 C, the reversible capacity can recover to 860 mAh·g−1, the cyclability is impressive (initial capacity of 700 mAh·g−1 and 660 mAh·g−1 maintained for 1000 cycles at a high current density of 2 C, corresponding to an excellent capacity retention of 94% after 1000 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Designing potential anodes for sodium‐ion battery with both remarkable durability and high‐rate capability has captured enormous attention so far. The engineering of size and morphology is deemed as an effective manner to boost the electrochemical properties. Owing to the anisotropic self‐assembly of iron selenide, rod‐like FeSe2 coates with nitrogen‐doped carbon is prepared through the thermal reaction of Prussian blue with selenium. Notably, the cyano groups are effectively transformed into N‐doped carbon with FeNC bonds, which uniformly coats FeSe2, prompting Na+ transportations. Interestingly, the particle size is tailored by heating rates, along with increased carbon content, leading to broadened energy levels for redox reaction. Bestowed by these advantages, the FeSe2/N‐C as Na‐storage anode delivers impressive electrochemical properties. Even at a rather high rate of 10.0 A g−1, a considerable capacity of 308 mAh g−1 is yielded over 10 000 loops. Supported by the detailed analysis of kinetic features, reduced size of particles could bring about the enhanced contributions of pseudocapacitive and quickening rate of ions transferring. The phase evolutions are further investigated by in situ EIS and ex‐situ technologies. The work is expected to provide a new strategy to prepare metal‐selenide with controllable size and induce the faster kinetic of high‐rate materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are regarded as a promising candidate for large-scale energy storage applications, however, its sluggish sodiation kinetics limit high power capabilities. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrates that the replacement of large anions, within a Co 3 X 4 (X = O, S, Se) complex, can facilitate electron transfer through the reduction of the energy band gap (Eg) and the regulation of structural, electronic and bonding properties of Co-X, suggesting that the substituted Co 3 X 4 in the following order O < S < Se can provide enhanced Na-storage capability. Accordingly, Co 3 X 4 have been successfully designed, in which the selection of anions induces the evolution of microstructure, creating an enhancement of specific surface area with the effective introduction of defects. Note that the similar phys/chemical properties of anions within the Co 3 X 4 possess analogous conversion mechanisms, further confirmed by in-situ XRD. Quantitative kinetics analysis reveals that the levels of the surface-dominated redox behaviors are greatly promoted by the decreased binding energy of Na 2 X (Na 2 O > Na 2 S > Na 2 Se) with the increased active sites, which are paramount for electrochemical properties. The work in this article sheds light on the in-depth understanding of the improved sodium-storage behavior with the advancing VI group anions and provides an effective strategy for the design of high-rate electrode materials for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-increasing demand of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) caused by the rapid development of various electronics and electric vehicles will be hindered by the limited lithium resource. Thus sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been considered as a promising potential alternative for LIBs owing to the abundant sodium resource and similar electrochemical performances. In recent years, significant achievements regarding anode materials which restricted the development of SIBs in the past decades have been attained. Significantly, the sodium storage feasibility of carbon materials with abundant resource, low cost, nontoxicity and high safety has been confirmed, and extensive investigation have demonstrated that the carbonaceous materials can become promising electrode candidates for SIBs. In this review, the recent progress of the sodium storage performances of carbonaceous materials, including graphite, amorphous carbon, heteroatom-doped carbon, and biomass derived carbon, are presented and the related sodium storage mechanism is also summarized. Additionally, the critical issues, challenges and perspectives are provided to further understand the carbonaceous anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen vacancies (OVs) dominate the physical and chemical properties of metal oxides, which play crucial roles in the various fields of applications. Density functional theory calculations show the introduction of OVs in TiO2(B) gives rise to better electrical conductivity and lower energy barrier of sodiation. Here, OVs evoked blue TiO2(B) (termed as B-TiO2(B)) nanobelts are successfully designed upon the basis of electronically coupled conductive polymers to TiO2, which is confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The superiorities of OVs with the aid of carbon encapsulation lead to higher capacity (210.5 mAh g−1 (B-TiO2(B)) vs 102.7 mAh g−1 (W-TiO2(B)) at 0.5 C) and remarkable long-term cyclability (the retention of 94.4% at a high rate of 10 C after 5000 times). In situ X-ray diffractometer analysis spectra also confirm that an enlarged interlayer spacing stimulated by OVs is beneficial to accommodate insertion and removal of sodium ions to accelerate storage kinetics and preserve its original crystal structure. The work highlights that injecting OVs into metal oxides along with carbon coating is an effective strategy for improving capacity and cyclability performances in other metal oxide based electrochemical energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction for 'Highly stable zinc metal anode enabled by oxygen functional groups for advanced Zn-ion supercapacitors' by Kangyu Zou et al., Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 528–531, DOI: 10.1039/D0CC07526D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invited for this month's cover picture is the group of Prof. Banks. The cover picture illustrates the future of 3D‐printing/additive manufacturing for battery storage systems. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/batt.201800148. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are currently drawing increased attention as a promising alternative to lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) owing to the abundant resource and low cost of potassium. However, due to the large ionic radius size of K+, electrode material that can stably maintain K+ insertion/deintercalation is still extremely inadequate, especially for anode material with a satisfactory reversible capacity. As an attempt, nitrogen/carbon dual‐doped hierarchical NiS2 is introduced as the electrode material in PIBs for the first time. Considering that the introduction of the carbon layer effectively alleviates the volume expansion of the material itself, further improves the electronic conductivity, and finally accelerates the charge transfer of K+, not surprisingly, NiS2 decorated with the bifunctional carbon (NiS2@C@C) material electrode shows excellent potassium storage performances. When utilized as a PIB anode, it delivers a high reversible capacity of 302.7 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 after 100 cycles. The first coulombic efficiency is 78.6% and rate performance is 151.2 mAh g−1 at 1.6 A g−1 of the NiS2@C@C, which are also notable. Given such remarkable electrochemical properties, this work is expected to provide more possibilities for the reasonable design of advanced electrode materials for metal sulfide potassium ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titelbild: The Three-Dimensional Dendrite-Free Zinc Anode on a Copper Mesh with a Zinc-Oriented Polyacrylamide Electrolyte Additive (Angew. Wie H. Wang et al. in der Zuschrift auf S. 15988 ff. demonstrieren, kann die anfangs gebildete, feste Cu-Zn-Lösung die Zinkkeimbildung regulieren, während PAM das Wachstum von Zinkdendriten in den Folgezyklen unterdrückt. Wie H. Wang et al. in der Zuschrift auf S. 15988 ff. demonstrieren, kann die anfangs gebildete, feste Cu-Zn-Lösung die Zinkkeimbildung regulieren, während PAM das Wachstum von Zinkdendriten in den Folgezyklen unterdrückt. [Extracted from the article]

Lithium metal is the most ideal anode for next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries. However, the formation of lithium dendrites and the continuous consumption of electrolyte during cycling lead to a serious safety problems. Developing stable lithium metal anode with uniform lithium deposition is highly desirable. Herein, a nitrogen plasma strengthening strategy is proposed for copper oxide nanosheet–decorated Cu foil as an advanced current collector, and deep insights into the plasma regulating mechanism are elaborated. The plasma‐treated electrode can maintain a high coulombic efficiency of 99.6% for 500 cycles. The symmetric cell using the lithium‐plated electrode can be cycled for more than 600 h with a low‐voltage hysteresis (23.1 mV), which is much better than those of electrodes without plasma treatment. It is well confirmed that this plasma‐induced nitrogen doping method can provide sufficient active sites for lithium nucleation to enhance the stability of lithium deposition on copper oxide nanosheets decorated on Cu foil and improve the electrical conductivity to greatly reduce the overpotential of the lithium nucleation, which can be extended to other modified current collectors for stable lithium metal anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐ion hybrid supercapacitors (LICs) are considered as a promising candidate in energy storage systems. Taking the factor of sluggish kinetics behavior, battery‐type anode plays a significant role in improving the performance of LICs. Here, onion‐shaped graphene‐like derivatives are synthesized via carbonization of metalorganic quantum dots (MQDs) accompanied with in situ catalytic graphitization by reduced metal. Notably MQDs, exhibiting water‐soluble character and ultrafine particles (2.5–5.5 nm) morphology, are prepared by the amidation reaction. The carbonized sample exhibits highly graphitic tendency with graphitization degree up to 95.6%, and shows graphene‐like porous structure, appropriate amorphous carbon decoration characteristic, as well as N‐doping and defective nature. When employed as anode material in LICs, it shows high energy density of 83.7 Wh kg–1 and high power density of 6527 W kg–1 when the mass ratio of cathode to anode is 1:1 and the operating voltage ranges from 2.0 to 4.0 V. It also possesses the long cyclic stability with the energy density retention maintains at 97.3% after 10 000 cycles at 5.0 A g–1. In addition, the energy density is further increased by altering cathode/anode mass ratio and extending working voltage. This work provides a novel strategy to develop unique carbon materials for energy storage. Water‐soluble metalorganic quantum dots are synthesized and their derivative porous graphitic carbons (PGCs) are achieved accompanied with in situ catalytic graphitization process. The obtained PGCs exhibit high plateau capacity and superior rate capability, making them very promising anode materials for lithium‐ion capacitors, benefiting from the high graphitization degree, graphene‐like porous shape, appropriate amorphous carbon decoration, and N‐doping and defect‐rich natures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) suffer from severe corrosion effects and dendrite growth on the unstable anode/electrolyte interface (AEI) during the plating/stripping process. Therefore, it is of great significance to build a stable AEI enabling a long lifetime for ZIBs. Herein, trace tea polyphenols (TP) were introduced firstly as additive of zinc acetate electrolyte to protect zinc anode from corrosion invasion and boost uniform zinc deposition, thus achieving reversible dendrite-free zinc anode. In situ synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging was conducted to illustrate the positive role of TP molecules in the uniform plating process of zinc. The stable AEI induced by the specific adsorption of TP molecules reduced hydrogen and oxygen evolution side reactions and increased the coulombic efficiency. The TP additive with an ultralow dosage of 0.028 g L−1 delivered favorable cycling stability of 720 h at 0.5 mA cm−2 and 0.5 mAh cm−2. The Zn-Na 3 V 2 (PO 4) 3 full cell assembled with the hybrid Zn(Ac) 2 -TP electrolyte contributed an energy density of 130 mAh g−1 at the current density of 0.2C and enhanced cycling stability of 78% retention after 300 cycles. These results will provide new insights into additive engineering for aqueous electrolytes and the fundamental understanding of AEI phenomena for high performance ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical performance of the cathode material is influenced by its structure, including morphology, pore size, specific surface area, layer spacing, impurity content, and species. Each of these factors plays a distinct role in the energy storage process of the electrode. The purpose of this review is not only to provide the relationship between the structure and mechanism of cathode materials, but also to provide directional guidance for optimizing electrochemical performance of the materials. [Display omitted] • Critically reviewing the applications of various cathode materials in MIHCs (Li, Na, K and Zn). • Discussing the relationship between material structure and energy storage mechanism. • Summarizing the methods of optimizing electrochemical properties of cathode materials. Metal ion hybrid capacitors (MIHCs) consist of both capacitance-type electrodes and battery-type electrodes, thereby combining the advantages of metal ion batteries and supercapacitors. Nevertheless, the disparity between the specific capacity and rate performance of the cathode and anode materials suggests that the current performance of MIHCs does not meet practical requirements. The performance of MIHCs is affected by the type, composition, and morphology of the cathode material, affirming their essential role as critical components. Therefore, there is a need to concentrate on and discuss the electrochemical properties of electrode materials, as well as strategies aimed at enhancing their electrochemical performance. This article introduces the composition, types, and energy storage mechanisms of MIHCs. Subsequently, a review is conducted on the cathode materials used in lithium, sodium, potassium, and zinc ion capacitors, with emphasis on their physical and chemical properties and the resulting electrochemical performance. Moreover, a comprehensive investigation is conducted to explore effective strategies for enhancing the electrochemical properties of materials, incorporating a substantial number of theoretical calculations and experimental results. Finally, this review provides valuable suggestions for the development and large-scale production of cathode electrode materials for MIHCs (Li+, Na+, K+, and Zn2+), addressing current issues and proposing potential research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide, promising anode materials for sodium ion batteries, nonetheless, suffers from its inferior charge transfer kinetics owing to low diffusion coefficient and poor electronic conductivity, which results in its unsatisfactory high-rate capability. Here, an oxygen vacancy (OV) engineering assisted in high-content anion (S/Se/P) doping strategy to enhance its charge transfer kinetics for ultrafast sodium-storage performance is proposed to address these issues and expectative results have been obtained. [Display omitted] The rate-determining process for sodium storage in TiO 2 is greatly depending on charge transfer happening in the electrode materials owing to its inferior diffusion coefficient and electronic conductivity. Apart from reducing the diffusion distance of ion/electron, the increasement of ionic/electronic mobility in the crystal lattice is also very important for charge transport. Here, an oxygen vacancy (OV) engineering assisted in high-content anion (S/Se/P) doping strategy to enhance charge transfer kinetics for ultrafast sodium-storage performance is proposed. Theoretical calculations indicate that OV-engineering evokes spontaneous S doping into the TiO 2 phase and achieves high dopant concentration to bring about impurity state electron donor and electronic delocalization over S occupied sites, which can largely reduce the migration barrier of Na+. To realize the speculation, high-content anion doped anatase TiO 2 /C composites (9.82 at% for S in A-TiO 2– x -S/C) are elaborately designed. The optimized A-TiO 2– x -S/C anode exhibits extraordinarily high-rate capability with 209.6 mAh g−1 at 5000 mA g−1. The assembled sodium ion capacitors deliver an ultrahigh energy density of 150.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 150 W kg−1 when applied as anode materials. This work provides a new strategy to realize high content anion doping concentration, and enhances the charge transfer kinetics for TiO 2 , which delivers an efficient approach for the design of electrode materials with fast kinetic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sb@CN nanofibers are efficiently fabricated and present excellent potassium storage performance, especially the long cycle stability with a reversible capacity of of 360.2 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 after 200 cycles and 212.7 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles even at 5000 mA g−1, which is one of the most outstanding potassium storage performances of Sb anode up to now. Antimony-based materials with high theoretical capacity are known as promising anodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). However, they still face challenges from the large ionic radius of the K ion, which has sluggish kinetics. Much effort is needed to exploit high-performance electrode materials to satisfy the reversible capacity of PIBs. In this paper, nano Sb confined in N-doped carbon fibers (Sb@CN nanofibers) were successfully prepared through an electrospinning method, which was designed to improve potassium storage performances. Sb@CN nanofibers benefit from the fact that the synergy between the porous nanofiber frame structure and the uniformly distributed Sb nano-components in the carbon matrix can effectively accelerate the ion migration rate and reduce the mechanical stress caused by K+ insertion/extraction, Sb@CN nanofiber electrodes thus exhibited excellent potassium storage performance, especially long cycle stability, as expected. When utilized as a PIB anode, they delivered high reversible capacity of 360.2 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 50 mA g−1, and a particularly stable capacity of 212.7 mAh g−1 was also obtained after 1000 cycles even at 5000 mA g−1. Given such outstanding electrochemical performances, this work is expected to provide insight into the development and exploration of advanced alloy-type electrodes for PIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of poor cycle stability of carbon-based materials in potassium ion batteries, functionalized nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots (CDs) are applied to improve the potassium storage performance of electrode materials. In this work, the functionalized CDs are used to regulate the structure and morphology of the polypyrrole in-situ during the polymerization process of pyrrole monomer. Concretely, the original strip-like fibrous polypyrrole can be induced to become bead-like particle with the disappearance of fiber shape, and with the increase of the amount of carbon dots, the active particles increased. Compared with pure polypyrrole derived carbon, the carbon-dot-regulated polypyrrole derived carbon exhibits more excellent cycling performances with a shorter ion transmission and transfer path, more active sites, increased contact area with the electrolyte and improved structural stability. The specific capacity of the carbon anode carbonized from polypyrrole (C-ppy-NSCDs-100) regulated by 100 mg of carbon dots could reach 360.2 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, showing the application potential of carbon dots in improving electrochemical potassium storage by regulating the morphology of carbon-based materials. Predictably, these unparalleled features of CDs can be expected to inspire more exciting results in potassium-ion energy storage systems. • A series of polypyrrole carbon-based materials were obtained with the inducers of carbon dots. • The C-ppy-NSCDs-100 anode exhibited a specific capacity of 155.4 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 495 cycles. • The introduction of carbon quantum is an effective way to improve electrochemical potassium storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium-ion battery (PIB) is a promising candidate in grid energy storage field because of the abundant potassium resource and its low cost. More efforts should be made to research anode material with long cycling performance due to the fading potassium capacity of graphite. Honeycomb hard carbon (HHC) with uniform pore structure and weakly ordered turbostratic domains was successfully prepared from carbon quantum dots (CQDs) through the calcination with the assistance of SiO 2 nanospheres. As anode material for PIBs, HHC delivered a high specific capacity of 195.3 mA h g−1 and 67.43% capacity retention after 150 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. The electrochemical behaviors of HHC electrode were investigated in detail by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at various voltages and calculation of capacitive contribution, exhibiting favorable potassium storage property. Image 1 • Honeycomb hard carbon is prepared from carbon quantum dots. • Honeycomb hard carbon exhibits great potassium storage performances. • Honeycomb hard carbon/K electrode exhibits favorable kinetic behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing copper coordination compound as Cu, S, N and C sources, nano-sized Cu 9 S 5 coated with N, S co-doped carbon (NSC) has been prepared via one-step calcination. The uniform nanosize Cu 9 S 5 were well coated by NSC with the thickness of about 4 nm. The Cu 9 S 5 /NSC composite as a new anode for sodium-ion battery shows high reversible charge specific capacity of 412.0 mAh g −1 at 100 mA g −1 and good capacity retention after 200 cycles, which is attributed to the encapsulated structure and strong binding interaction between Cu 9 S 5 and NSC (bridge bonds of C-S-Cu and C- O -Cu). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A bifunctional layer was prepared in-situ on Zn metal anode. • The bifunctional layer can homogenize the electric field. • The epitaxial deposition of Zn (0 0 2) can be achieved. • The corrosion resistance of Zn anode has been improved. • Dendrite-free Zn plating/stripping is realized over 2200 h. Suppressing the Zn dendrites of the anode is regarded beneficial to constructing the high safe and long life Zn metal battery. However, it is still an austere challenge to realizing the even zinc nucleation and controllable growth. Herein, we reported a dendrite-free Zn anode based on the protection of Ag nanoparticles modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO/Ag@Zn). Among them, the parallelly aligned rGO layers drive the epitaxial deposition of Zn along (0 0 2) plane, while ultrafine Ag nanoparticles serve as the zincophilic seeds anchored on rGO to modulate uniform Zn-ion distribution and realize horizontally confined Zn deposition. Such synergistic effect restrains the growth of Zn dendrites, enabling an ultra-stable Zn anode. Therefore, the rGO/Ag@Zn symmetric cell can steadily cycle over 2200 h with a lower voltage polarization of 33.1 mV at a high current density and areal capacity (10 mA cm−2 and 5 mA cm−2). Meanwhile, the full cell matched with V 2 O 5 cathode delivers a high capacity of 157.5 mA h g−1 after 4000 cycles at 5 A/g. This bifunctional protection layer on Zn anode leads a dendrite-free Zn platting/stripping and provides a facile approach for high-performance zinc ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]