Biomass-based diatomite coating to prepare a high-stability zinc anode for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries

The metallic zinc has the advantages of suitable redox potential, low cost, and high safety, it has attracted much attention from scientific researchers. However, irreversible side reactions such as dendrite growth, corrosion and passivation within the zinc anode significantly damage its cycle stability and life. Here, we reported that a biomass-based diatomite coating prepared a high-stability zinc anode for the first time. The coating has a confinement effect on zinc ions, guiding zinc ions' orderly deposition to form a high-quality deposition layer. In addition, the coating effectively improves the hydrophilicity of the zinc anode, creates even zinc nucleation, and reduces the resistance to charge transfer. Therefore, the modified cell still maintained a high discharge capacity of 113.9 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles with a high current density of 1.5 A g−1. This result is much higher than that of a bare Zn cell (94.6 mAh g−1). This work contributes to rechargeable water-based zinc-ion batteries in new fields.