Engineering Zn²⁺ Solvation and Interfaces for Stable Zinc Metal Batteries

Zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) are attractive alternatives to lithium-ion batteries owing to the low cost, natural abundance, and environmental compatibility of zinc. However, their practical performance is severely limited by zinc dendrite growth, corrosion, and hydrogen evolution, which compromise reversibility and cycling stability. These degradation processes are closely tied to Zn²⁺ solvation chemistry and interfacial reactions in aqueous electrolytes, where strong coordination between Zn²⁺ ions and water molecules results in sluggish charge transfer and pronounced parasitic reactions. In this talk, I will describe our recent efforts to systematically regulate Zn²⁺ solvation and interfacial processes through electrolyte and interface engineering. We investigate the effects of Zn-ion chelating agents and functional electrolyte additives on the primary solvation sheath, and Zn²⁺ transport behavior. In parallel, we explore functional coating layers on zinc metal electrodes that promote controlled de-solvation during zinc plating and stripping and enable the formation of a stable solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI). A combination of electrochemical testing, spectroscopic analysis, and advanced structural characterization is used to elucidate Zn-ion coordination environments, solvation dynamics, additive–Zn interactions, and interfacial evolution. By establishing clear correlations between electrolyte composition, interfacial structure, and electrochemical performance, this work provides design guidelines for electrolyte additives and multifunctional interfacial layers. These strategies advance the development of high-capacity, dendrite-free, and long-cycle-life zinc metal batteries, contributing to next-generation aqueous energy storage technologies.