Subnanocyclic Molecule of 15-Crown-5 Inhibiting Interfacial Water Decomposition and Stabilizing Zinc Anodes via Regulation of Zn2+ Solvation Shell

Aqueous zinc ion batteries exhibit a promising application prospect for next-generation energy storage devices. However, the decomposition of active H₂O molecules on the Zn anode induces drastic dendrite formation, thereby impairing the performance for entire devices. To solve this challenge, we introduce subnanocyclic molecules of 15-Crown-5 as an additive into ZnSO₄ electrolyte to stabilize the Zn anode. Owing to the binding property of crown ethers with alkali metal ions and the size-fit rule, the 15-Crown-5 additives enable effective regulation of the solvation structure of hydrated Zn²⁺ and reduce the efficient contact between Zn anode and active H₂O, which are validated by the experimental analysis and theoretical calculations. Under the assistance of the 15-Crown-5 additive, the as-assembled Zn-based batteries deliver superior performance compared with ZnSO₄ and 18-Crown-6contaning ZnSO₄ electrolytes. This work shows a bright direction toward progress in aqueous batteries.