Rationally designed In@Zn@In trilayer structure on 3D porous Cu towards high-performance Zn-Ion batteries

• An In@Zn@In trilayer structure is rationally designed on 3D porous Cu electrode. • Such trilayer structure inhibits dendrite growth and side reactions of Zn anode. • Such trilayer structure exhibits remarkably enhanced Zn plating/stripping kinetics. • Such electrode shows highly stable Zn storage for 2000 cycles in full cell. Metallic Zn has been regarded as a promising anode for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) due to its abundant reserves, low cost, high safety, low redox potential and high theoretical capacity. However, such ZIBs usually suffer from dendrite growth and serious side reactions of Zn anode, and incur poor cycling stability and battery safety issues, thus limiting their practical applications. Herein a unique In@Zn@In trilayer structure grown on three-dimensional (3D) porous Cu framework (3D In@Zn@In) is rationally designed and developed by electroless plating coupled with electrodepositing for high-performance ZIBs. The sandwich-like In@Zn@In trilayer structure not only efficiently inhibits the dendrite growth and side reactions of Zn anode, but also exhibits remarkably enhanced Zn plating/stripping kinetics. Meanwhile, 3D porous architectures possess some favorable merits for ZIBs including rapid electrolyte penetration, sufficient electron/ion transport channels, restricting Zn dendrite growth, and robust structure integrity. In this work, 3D In@Zn@In efficiently combines the advantages of In@Zn@In trilayer structure and 3D porous framework, and shows highly stable Zn storage for over 400 h in symmetry cell and 2000 cycles in full cell coupled with Mn 2 O 3 cathode. This work provides a facile, efficient and controllable strategy to inhibit Zn dendrite and side reactions for realizing highly stable Zn anode, showing a great potential for other metal anode applications.