Boosting the reversibility of Zn anodes via synergistic cation–anion interface adsorption with addition of multifunctional potassium polyacrylate

Rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries have the edge in resource reserve, cost, energy and conversion efficiency due to the inherent features of metal Zn anodes. However, the application of Zn-based batteries is being seriously hindered by Zn dendrites and water-induced side-reactions. Here, potassium polyacrylate (K-PAM) is proposed as the electrolyte additive to form a synergistic cation-anion interface on Zn surface. The carboxyl anions and K+ cations are preferentially adsorbed on the Zn surface due to the intrinsic surfactant characteristics, which could homogenize Zn plating and suppress parasitic reactions. The synergistic regulation of K-PAM additive endows the ZnZn symmetric cells with excellent cyclic durability of 1250 h at 1 mA cm-2, which is significantly better than the polyacrylic acid additive only with carboxyl anions. Moreover, trace K-PAM addition into traditional ZnSO4 electrolyte endows the ZnCu batteries with a considerable average Coulombic efficiency of 99.2 %. Additionally, higher capacity retention and excellent cycling stability of ZnVO2 cells further mark K-PAM as a potentially impressive aqueous electrolyte additive for high-performance Zn-based batteries. This work will provide a promising method for the synergistic regulation with cations and anions of electrolyte additives to improve the stability and reversibility of Zn anodes.