Dendrite-free aqueous Zn-ion batteries via a multifunctional Se protective layer

The development of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is hindered by severe corrosion, hydrogen evolution and dendritic growth problems of zinc anode. To solve this problem, electrodepositing Se on the surface of Zn anode is proposed to suppress side reactions and growth of dendrites. As expected, the [email protected] symmetric cell achieved a cycle life of more than 1000 h at the current density of 0.05 mA cm−2, and can stabilize with a low polarization (57 mV). When NixV2O5·nH2O was applied as cathode, this full cell achieved a long lifespan of 500 cycles with coulombic efficiency near 100%. The closely-arranged Se layer can act as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase SEI to limit the local inhomogeneity of zinc during electroplating/stripping, thereby suppressing the growth of zinc dendrites and also reducing the evolution of hydrogen.