Aromatic Chelating Layers Enable Advanced Zinc Ion Batteries

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have gained prominence as promising contenders for grid-scale energy storage systems due to their inherent safety, cost-effectiveness, and high energy density; however, their practical implementation faces fundamental limitations stemming from uncontrolled dendritic formation caused by insufficient desolvation kinetics and sluggish Zn2+ diffusion mechanisms. Herein, the strategy for enhancing desolvation–diffusion kinetics is proposed by fabricating an aromatic chelating layer on the zinc anode via a unique bidentate chelation effect between o-phenylenediamine and a metallic zinc foil. The aromatic chelating layers effectively prevent interfacial corrosion from side reactions, and the conjugate electrostatic frameworks also promote Zn2+ transport with a lower barrier; these conclusions are confirmed by both experimental characterizations and theoretical studies. Consequently, the assembled cells exhibit a long-term lifespan with a low overpotential, and the Coulombic efficiency is prominently improved to 99.71%. Coupled with VO2 cathodes, both the constructions of the coin cell and pouch cell all possess high-capacity retentions after a long cycling process up to 2000 cycles, suggesting the bright application potential of aromatic chelating modification on the surface of zinc anodes.