Recent advances in zinc anodes for high-performance aqueous Zn-ion batteries

The zinc ion battery (ZIB) with mild aqueous electrolytes is one of the most promising systems for the large-scale energy storage application due to its high safety, environmental benignity, low cost, and high energy density. It exhibits excellent application potential and has attracted the attention of battery developers for grid energy storage demands in recent years. Compared with the numerous studies on the cathode materials for ZIBs, the research on the enhancement of the electrochemical performance of zinc metal anode is still in its early stage. The current challenges for Zn anodes are their poor cyclability and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) originated from the severe dendrite growth, self-corrosion, and irreversible byproducts formation. To address the intrinsic drawbacks of zinc metal anodes in mild aqueous electrolytes, some effective strategies, including interfacial modification between anode and electrolyte, structural design for Zn anodes and the adoption of novel separators and electrolytes, have been developed recently. This review aims to highlight the recent advances in Zn anode and outline future opportunities for the development of high-performance zinc metal anodes in aqueous ZIBs.