An Artificial Polyacrylonitrile Coating Layer Confining Zinc Dendrite Growth for Highly Reversible Aqueous Zinc-Based Batteries

Aqueous rechargeable zinc-metal-based batteries are an attractive alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale energy-storage systems because of their high specific capacity, low cost, eco-friendliness, and nonflammability. However, uncontrollable zinc dendrite growth limits the cycle life by piercing the separator, resulting in low zinc utilization in both alkaline and mild/neutral electrolytes. Herein, a polyacrylonitrile coating layer on a zinc anode produced by a simple drop coating approach to address the dendrite issue is reported. The coating layer not only improves the hydrophilicity of the zinc anode but also regulates zinc-ion transport, consequently facilitating the uniform deposition of zinc ions to avoid dendrite formation. A symmetrical cell with the polymer-coating-layer-modified Zn anode displays dendrite-free plating/stripping with a long cycle lifespan (>1100 h), much better than that of the bare Zn anode. The modified zinc anode coupled with a Mn-doped V₂O₅ cathode forms a stable rechargeable full battery. This method is a facile and feasible way to solve the zinc dendrite problem for rechargeable aqueous zinc-metal batteries, providing a solid basis for application of aqueous rechargeable Zn batteries.