Highly reversible Zn metal anodes enabled by multifunctional poly zinc acrylate protective coating

• Durable Zn anodes are achieved by negatively charged poly(zinc acrylate) coat. • Corrosion, passivation, and dendrite are suppressed by the 3D network coating. • The self-contained Zn 2+ in poly(zinc acrylate) avoids the supply of sluggish ions. The application of low-cost and high-safety aqueous Zn metal batteries is seriously hindered by Zn anode stemming from its uncontrollable dendrite growth and detrimental water-induced side reactions. Herein, a zinc-enriched and negatively charged poly zinc acrylate (PZA) polyelectrolyte with hydrophobic 3D network is firstly constructed on Zn surface through facile UV light irradiation of ZA monomer. The as-obtained PZA coating exhibits a strong adhesion to Zn foil, persistently protecting Zn from water corrosion. Furthermore, the 3D interconnected network architecture favors the fast transport of Zn 2+ . Meanwhile, the anions can be shielded and desolvation of hydrated Zn 2+ is accelerated. Notably, the self-contained Zn 2+ in PZA can avoid the supply of sluggish ions. Accordingly, the Zn@PZA anode delivers a low energy barrier and high Zn 2+ transference number. Moreover, it endows a superior Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% and long-life dendrite-free plating/stripping (10 mA cm -2 , 2 mAh cm -2 ). The MnO 2 ||Zn@PZA full cell displays a highly stable cycling behavior for over 700 cycles with a high capacity retention of 95.1% at 1 A g -1 together with a satisfactory rate performance. This work delivers an affordable and facile strategy to realize the high reversibility and stability of Zn anodes.