Electrolytes additives for Zn metal anodes: regulation mechanism and current perspectives

Abstract With distinct advantages such as high gravimetric and volumetric capacity (5855 mAh·cm −3 and 820 mAh·g −1 ), low redox potential (− 0.762 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode (SHE)), high abundance, low toxicity and intrinsic safety of Zn metal anode, Zn‐ion batteries have become a potential alternative to Li‐ion batteries. However, several challenges still need to be addressed prior to the practical applications of Zn‐ion batteries, such as dendrite growth during Zn plating/stripping and interfacial side reactions on the Zn surface. Such issues can be addressed by introducing additives to regulate the components and structures of the electrolyte. In this review, we systematically discussed the core issues of metallic Zn anodes and comprehensively summarized a novel perspective of the regulation mechanism of inhibiting dendrite growth or interfacial side reactions in Zn anodes by introducing additives into aqueous electrolytes. Furthermore, some discussions and prospects for aqueous Zn ion batteries (AZIBs) are presented for future research.