Molecular engineering of self-assembled monolayers for highly utilized Zn anodes

Stabilizing the Zn anode under high utilization rates is highly applauded yet very challenging in aqueous Zn batteries. Here, we rationally design a zincophilic short-chain aromatic molecule, 4-mercaptopyridine (4Mpy), to construct self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on a copper substrate to achieve highly utilized Zn anodes. We reveal that 4Mpy could be firmly bound on the Cu substrate via Cu−S bond to form compact and uniform SAMs, which could effectively isolate the water on the electrode surface and thus eliminate the water-related side reactions. In addition, the short-chain aromatic ring structure of 4Mpy could not only ensure the ordered arrangement of zincophilic pyridine N but also facilitate charge transfer, thus enabling uniform and rapid Zn deposition. Consequently, the Zn/4Mpy/Cu electrode not only enables the symmetric cell to stably cycle for over 180 h at 10 mA cm−2 under a high depth-of-discharge of 90%, but also allows the MnO2-paired pouch cell to survive for 100 cycles under a high Zn utilization rate of 78.8%. An anode-free 4Mpy/Cu||graphite cell also operates for 150 cycles without obvious capacity fading at 0.1 A g−1. This control of interfacial chemistry via SAMs to achieve high utilization rates of metal anodes provides a new paradigm for developing high-energy metal-based batteries.