Revisiting Interfacial Desolvation for Zn Powder Anodes in 30 Ah Practical Prismatic Zn‐Ion Batteries

View at publisher
Authors: Anqi Zhu, Zhiyuan Chen, Jesse Zhu, Xuan Gao, Yuhang Dai, Yiyang Liu, Haobo Dong
Cited by: 1
References: 52

Abstract

ABSTRACT Zn powder anodes combine high surface area, mechanical flexibility, and compatibility with slurry‐based fabrication, making them highly attractive for industrial‐scale aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs). Despite these advantages, the core challenge lies in its inherently high interfacial reactivity, which accelerates side reactions such as hydrogen evolution and uncontrolled dendrite growth, ultimately destabilizing the solid–liquid interface. This work identifies a kinetic origin by splitting interfacial desolvation into Zn 2 + solvation shell removal and surface desorption, finding conventional electrolytes fail to regulate the latter, especially for defective, porous Zn powders. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a cosolvent in Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 electrolytes modifies desolvation and Zn 2 + deposition, reducing reaction kinetics and suppressing side reactions. The optimized electrolyte enables a Zn||Cu cell to cycle over 1600 times with 8.9 mV overpotential. A 1 Ah Zn‐P||VO 2 pouch cell retains 387 mAh g − 1 after 900 cycles, and a 30 Ah prismatic cell confirms scalability. This clarifies Zn powder bottlenecks and offers an electrolyte‐interface co‐design framework.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced battery technologies research Advancements in Battery Materials Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques

Publication details

Journal / source
Small
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
22
Issue
17
Pages
e14897–e14897
Publication date
29 January 2026
Language
EN