Hydrated eutectic electrolyte promotes the preferential growth of Zn (0 0 2) plane and suppresses side reaction for high-stability zinc anodes

Using deep eutectic solvent (DES) electrolytes is an efficient way to suppress the Zn dendrite growth and the side reactions resulting from the high activity of H2O in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). However, most DESs consist of expensive/explosive zinc salts or flammable/toxic organic ligands, which hinders their practical application in ZIBs. Herein, a low-cost and high-safety hydrated eutectic electrolyte based on ZnCl2, urea, and a small amount of H2O is prepared. Due to the low content of H2O and the strong intermolecular interaction between urea and H2O, the activity of H2O is greatly restricted and therefore H2O-induced side reactions are improved. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra and density functional theory calculations reveal that the adsorption of urea molecules on the zinc surface forms an organic protective layer, which can induce the preferential growth of the Zn (0 0 2) plane. As a result, with the optimal electrolyte, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell shows a long cyclic life of 1200 h, and the Zn||Cu half-cell delivers a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7 % for 2500 cycles. Meanwhile, the Zn||Bi2Te3 and Zn||polyaniline full cells with DES exhibit improved cycling performances compared to those using traditional ZnSO4 electrolyte. This work offers a new perspective to explore low-cost, non-toxic, and high-security DESs for ZIBs.