Controlling Horizontal Growth of Zinc Platelet by OP‐10 Additive for Dendrite‐Free Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Abstract Rechargeable zinc‐ion batteries based on aqueous electrolytes are advantageous in terms of being environmentally friendly, safe and low cost. However, the problems of zinc dendrites and irreversible by‐products on the Zn metal surface during the charging and discharging processes limit its practical application. Herein, octenyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether‐10 (OP‐10) with an oxygen‐rich chain is used as an electrolyte additive to significantly improve the stability of the Zn anode. With an ultralow addition content of about 0.1 wt %, the OP‐10 can not only promote the uniform deposition of Zn 2+ by adjusting the growth orientation of the (002) crystal plane of Zn but also alleviate side‐reaction on the metal surface. Thus, the Zn//Zn cell is stable for more than 800 hours at 1 mA cm −2 , and the Zn//Cu cell has a Coulombic efficiency of up to 99.80 %. Further, the Zn//V 2 O 5 ⋅ 1.6H 2 O battery exhibits outstanding cycle stability over 1000 cycles (maintain 92.12 % at 10 C), which is much superior to pure ZnSO 4 electrolyte. OP‐10 not only reduces cost but also increases battery energy density, which is more in line with the modification idea of “small dose and large effect” of additives.