Modulating the zinc ion flux and electric field intensity by multifunctional metal-organic complex interface layer for highly stable Zn anode

The uncontrollable growth of Zn dendrites accompanied by side reactions severely impedes the industrialized process of zinc ion electrochemical energy storage devices. Herein, we propose a practical metal-organic complex interface layer to manipulate the zinc ion flux and electric field intensity, enabling highly homogeneous zinc electrodeposition. The zinc-terephthalic acid complex (ZnPTA) with lower adsorption energy for zinc ion (−1.3 eV) builds a zincophilic interface favoring the ordered nucleation and growth of Zn. Moreover, the ZnPTA layer can serve as physical barrier to protect the newly deposited Zn from corrosion in the aqueous electrolyte. The modified Zn anode with the ZnPTA layer (ZnPTA@Zn) demonstrates excellent cycling stability more than 3000 h at 1 mA/cm2. Besides, the zinc-ion battery and zinc-ion hybrid capacitor using the ZnPTA@Zn electrode deliver outstanding cycle performance (up to 5500 cycles with high residual capacity ratio of 77.9%). This work provides a promising metal-organic complex interface design on enhancing the performance of Zn metal anode.