Ultrastable Zinc Anode by Simultaneously Manipulating Solvation Sheath and Inducing Oriented Deposition with PEG Stability Promoter

Abstract Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries are a low‐cost and safe energy storage system, but suffer from detrimental side reactions and Zn dendrites due to the strong interactions between Zn 2+ and water molecules in the electrolytes, and random Zn 2+ deposition on the anode surface. Here, an electrolyte involving a dual‐functional additive of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to bypass these issues is reported. The electrolyte can not only tailor the solvation sheath of Zn 2+ but also enable favorably oriented deposition of Zn 2+ on the anode surface. The dendrite‐free Zn anode in Zn//Zn cells is obtained with high Columbic efficiency (98.8%) and long cycling lifespan (1500 h), six times longer than that of electrolyte without PEG at 0.25 mA cm −2 . What is more, the excellent cycling stability of the prepared batteries (Zn//V 2 O 5 ·1.6 H 2 O) suggests that the developed tailoring strategy may propel a promising pathway for stabilizing Zn metal anodes.