Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks as Zn2+ Modulation Layers to Enable Dendrite‐Free Zn Anodes

Abstract Zinc (Zn) holds great promise as a desirable anode material for next‐generation rechargeable batteries. However, the uncontrollable dendrite growth and low coulombic efficiency of the Zn plating/stripping process severely impede further practical applications of Zn‐based batteries. Here, these roadblocks are removed by using in situ grown zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) as the ion modulation layer to tune the diffusion behavior of Zn 2+ ions on Zn anodes. The well‐ordered nanochannels and N species of ZIF‐8 can effectively homogenize Zn 2+ flux distribution and modulate the plating/stripping rate, ensuring uniform Zn deposition without dendrite growth. The Zn corrosion and hydrogen evolution are also alleviated by the insulating nature of ZIF‐8, resulting in high coulombic efficiency. Therefore, the Zn@ZIF anode shows highly reversible, dendrite‐free Zn plating/stripping behavior under a broad range of current densities, and a symmetric cell using this anode can work correctly up to 1200 h with a low polarization at 2 mA cm −2 . Moreover, this ultrastable Zn@ZIF anode also enables a full Zn ion battery with outstanding cyclic stability (10 000 cycles).