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In recent years, aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) with ultra‐high safety and environmental friendliness have emerged as a promising candidates for energy storage and energy conversion devices. However, the severe side reactions and dendrites issues discourage the practical application of ZIBs. Recently, biopolymer‐based gel electrolytes have disclosed large potential in tackling these challenges of ZIBs, with numerous advancements reported. Their advantages lie in suppressing side reactions including hydrogen evolution and Zn metal anode corrosion, as well as inhibiting the growth of Zn dendrites. This review comprehensively examines the classification, structures and properties of biopolymer‐based gel electrolytes, with a focus on hydrogel electrolytes derived from various natural macromolecular biopolymers, along with a brief discussion on non‐hydrogel electrolytes using ionic liquids or organic solutions as solvents. Subsequently, the preparation of biopolymer‐based gel electrolytes with physical and chemical methods are summarized. Furthermore, the practical applications of biopolymer‐based gel electrolytes in ZIBs with diverse cathodes materials are introduced. Finally, it highlights the environmental benefits and excellent electrochemical performance of biopolymer‐based gel electrolytes, outlining their prospects for the next generation of ZIBs and proposing future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational design of inorganic colloid electrolytes enables the manipulation of the solvation structure of Zn2+ ions and addresses zinc dendrite formation and manganese dissolution in aqueous zinc–manganese batteries. In this study, magnesium aluminosilicate (MAS) powder is used to fabricate a mineral‐based colloid electrolyte for Zn//α‐MnO2 batteries. According to theoretical calculations, MAS has a stronger binding energy with Zn2+/Mn2+ ions than with H2O molecules, suggesting the possibility of regulating the solvation structure of Zn2+/Mn2+ ions in a MAS–colloid electrolyte. Based on the experimental results, a high ionic conductivity, wide operating voltage, low activation energy barrier, and stable pH environment is achieved in the MAS–colloid electrolyte. As expected, long‐term cyclic stability can be maintained for 3500 h at 0.2 mA cm−2 in Zn//Zn cells, and high capacities of 255.5 and 239.8 mAh g−1 are retained at 0.2 and 0.5 A g−1 after 100 cycles in Zn//α‐MnO2 batteries, respectively. This performance is attributed to the spatial confinement effect of MAS on the active H2O molecules, which effectively reshapes the solvation structure of Zn2+ ions, guaranteeing reversible zinc deposition, suppressing active manganese dissolution, and ensuring stable interfacial reactions. This work will drive the development of mineral‐based electrolytes in zinc‐based batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered significant attention due to their advantages, including high safety, a straightforward manufacturing process, abundant resource availability, and high theoretical capacity. Nevertheless, the industrial application of AZIBs is impeded by the undesirable growth of dendrites and side reactions on the Zn anode. In this study, [3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] urea (3TMS) is utilized as an electrolyte additive to develop a solid/electrolyte interphase (SEI) film on the surface of Zn anode. The in situ formed SEI layer not only prevents side reactions form the direct contact of Zn anode with water but also induces preferential Zn deposition along the (002) crystal plane, suppressing dendrite growth. These synergistic functions enable the Zn anode with ultralong cycle life of over 6000 h at the current density of 1 mA cm−2 with the areal capacity of 1 mAh cm−2, as well as high coulombic efficiency of 99.34% after 750 cycles. Moreover, the Zn//V2O5 full cells with 3TMS additive display a high specific capacity of 114.4 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. This work provides a simple yet feasible approach to develop stable Zn anode toward high‐performance AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) attract attention due to their safety and high specific capacity. However, their practical applications are constrained by Zn anode corrosion, dendritic growth, and poor high‐temperature adaptability induced by a strong hydrogen‐bond network in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, a dual network polyanionic gel electrolyte (denoted as PAM‐PAMPS‐10PD) is developed capable of withstanding high temperatures (100 °C) by in situ polymerization. The abundant anionic groups in the gel electrolyte greatly improve Zn2+ transport and inducing uniform deposition of Zn2+. Then the addition of the high‐boiling molecular crowding agent 1,5‐pentanediol (PD) can inhibit the water activity by enhancing hydrogen bonding with H2O and changing the solvation structure of Zn2+ to inhibit Zn anode corrosion. As a result, the symmetric battery using the PAM‐PAMPS‐10PD gel electrolyte can be stably cycled for at least 500 h at 100 °C and 0.5 mA cm−2/0.5 mAh cm−2, realizing dendrite‐free zinc anodes at high temperatures. Moreover, the Zn–AC full battery has a capacity retention of 47.8% after 3000 cycles at 100 °C and 4 mA cm−2. This study provides a beneficial reference for the design of high‐performance high‐temperature gel electrolytes and establishes a solid foundation for the practical application of AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protective coatings for Zn anode are developed to suppress Zn dendrite growth, inhibit hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and provide good anti‐corrosion properties. However, preparing protective coatings with all three of these characteristics remains a challenge. In this study, a triple‐functional amorphous In2O3 protective layer for Zn anodes is designed. The high redox potential of In/In3+ ensures the stability of the coating in aqueous electrolytes and effectively suppresses HER. Theoretical calculations indicate that the amorphous In₂O₃ protective layer has high Zn2⁺ affinity, which lowers the nucleation barrier for Zn2⁺ and suppresses dendrite growth. Furthermore, the anisotropy of this amorphous material provides homogeneous Zn2+ adsorption sites and enhances corrosion resistance. Consequently, amorphous In2O3@Zn symmetric batteries have excellent stability and a cycle life far exceeding that of bare Zn, showing the ability to undergo continuous stripping/plating at 1 mA cm−2 for >5400 h. At a current density of 10 A g−1, an amorphous In2O3@Zn//Ca‐V2O5 full cell retains a specific capacity of 307.3 mA h g−1 after 5000 cycles (cycle retention: 76%). The successful preparation of In2O3@Zn provides a new approach for obtaining highly stable and long‐life Zn anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth‐based materials show great potential in aqueous batteries. But it is difficult to design a bifunctional bismuth‐based material for zinc and ammonium ion batteries (ZIBs and AIBs). Herein, a electrospinning method followed by a selenization strategy is used to design Bi2Se3 nanodots embedded in porous carbon nanofibers. Experimental studies coupled with theoretical calculations prove that the designs of nanodot and Se vacancy improve the transfer and storage of Zn2+ and NH4+. Bi2Se3 nanodots are restricted to porous carbon nanofibers during cyclic test. An insertion‐type mechanism is revealed by ex situ characterizations. As a result, this well‐designed electrode (6 mg cm−2) offers high reversible capacities of 270 mA h g−1 in ZIBs and 192 mA h g−1 in AIBs at 0.05 A g−1 and long‐term cycle life (60% capacity retention at 10 A g−1 after 20 K cycles for ZIBs, 78% capacity retention at 2 A g−1 after 9 K cycles for AIBs). Remarkably, it still displays satisfactory performances even at an ultrahigh mass loading of 18 mg cm−2. Furthermore, Zn2+ and NH4+ full cells offer high reversible capacities of 120 and 90 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 respectively. This work provides a reference for designing a bifunctional electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major challenges of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are the dendrite formation and the passivation of zinc metal anode, which restrict their practical applications. Herein, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and zwitterionic surfactant (Sulfobetaine methacrylate, SBMA) are combined as a precursor to design a modified PAN nanofiber separator by electrospinning. SBMA with sulfonate group [SO3−] can alter the physical property of the precursor solution and electrostatic field during the electrospinning process. Besides, it can regulate the zinc ions crossing and homogenize the electric field by minimizing the zinc ion concentration polarization on the zinc foil surface due to the polar group. As a result, Zn symmetric cells with PAN@SBMA separators show long‐term stability (up to 1700 h), which outdistances the cell with GF‐D (only up to 50 h) under current density at 1 mA cm−2. Meanwhile, the Zn//PAN@SBMA//NH4V4O10 full cells have high specific capacity (236 mAh g−1) and excellent long‐term durability with 84.2% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 5 A g−1. This work illustrates an easy and effective way to design a high ion transference number and functional PAN‐based separator for regulating Zn2+ deposition for the development of high‐performance ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large‐scale energy storage due to the advantages of high safety, high theoretical capacity, and cost‐effectiveness. However, the stability of AZIBs is poor (generally 50–100 cycles) at low current densities due to side reactions. Here, choline glycerophosphate (CGP) is introduced as a zwitterion additive to improve performance of AZIBs. The CGP helps to form a new solvated structure of Zn2+, named zwitterion‐separated ion pair (ZSIP) structure that can link OTf− ion and repel H2O molecular. In addition, CGP can be adsorbed on anode to suppress formation of by‐products ZnxOTfy(OH)2x‐y·nH2O, and on cathode to inhibit Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O phase generation. Consequently, the Zn||Cu cell shows an excellent average Coulombic efficiency of 99.79% over 800 cycles at 1 mA cm−2 and 0.5 mAh cm−2. Impressively, the Zn//NH4V4O10 battery demonstrates exceptional capacity retention of 95% along with a high specific capacity of 409.3 mAh g−1 after 350 cycles under a trickle (dis)charge process (0.2 A g−1) and an ultra‐long lifespan of 14 000 cycles at 5 A g−1 along with a high specific capacity of 217 mAh g−1. The concept of ZSIP opens a new avenue for developing aqueous batteries with high performance and long stability in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries have become a promising energy storage battery due to high theoretical specific capacity, abundant zinc resources and low cost. However, zinc dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reaction limit their application. This study aims to improve the cycling performance and stability of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries by improving the gel electrolyte. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is selected as the base material of the gel electrolyte, which has good stability and safety, but the water retention capacity, Zn2+ migration number, and ionic conductivity of PAM are low, which affects the long‐term stability of the battery. In response to these problems, we optimized PAM by chemical cross‐linking method, and formed an enhanced PAM gel by adding disodium citrate dihydrate (SC). Experimental results show that the introduction of an appropriate amount of SC in the enhanced PAM gel electrolyte can significantly improve its electrochemical performance. The zinc‐ion symmetric battery achieved a stable cycle of more than 2100 hours at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2, which is mainly attributed to the inhibitory effect of the enhanced PAM gel on zinc dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reaction. This study provides a new direction for the development and application of flexible zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activating anionic redox reaction (ARR) has attracted a great interest in Li/Na‐ion batteries owing to the fascinating extra‐capacity at high operating voltages. However, ARR has rarely been reported in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) and its possibility in the popular MnO2‐based cathodes has not been explored. Herein, the novel manganese deficient MnO2 micro‐nano spheres with interlayer "Ca2+‐pillars" (CaMnO‐140) are prepared via a low‐temperature (140 °C) hydrothermal method, where the Mn vacancies can trigger ARR by creating non‐bonding O 2p states, the pre‐intercalated Ca2+ can reinforce the layered structure and suppress the lattice oxygen release by forming Ca−O configurations. The tailored CaMnO‐140 cathode demonstrates an unprecedentedly high rate capability (485.4 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 with 154.5 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1) and a marvelous long‐term cycling durability (90.6 % capacity retention over 5000 cycles) in AZIBs. The reversible oxygen redox chemistry accompanied by CF3SO3− (from the electrolyte) uptake/release, and the manganese redox accompanied by H+/Zn2+ co‐insertion/extraction, are elucidated by advanced synchrotron characterizations and theoretical computations. Finally, pouch‐type CaMnO‐140//Zn batteries manifest bright application prospects with high energy, long life, wide‐temperature adaptability, and high operating safety. This study provides new perspectives for developing high‐energy cathodes for AZIBs by initiating anionic redox chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) offer significant advantages, including high safety, environmental protection and abundant zinc sources. V‐based layer‐like oxides are promising candidates as cathode materials for ZIBs; however, they face challenges such as low electrical conductivity, poor cycling stability, and limited Zn2+ storage capacity. In this study, Li‐V3O7 ⋅ H2O electrode materials were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The doping of lithium ions has led to a significant expansion of the interlayer spacing within the electrode structure, which enhances ion mobility and improves ion transport speed as well as charge‐discharge rates. Additionally, the increased spacing allows for the accommodation of more zinc ions, resulting in greater specific capacity and energy storage. More importantly, this modification reduces structural strain, minimizes the dissolution of vanadium‐based materials, and maintains electrode integrity over multiple cycles, thereby improving cycling stability. Consequently, the properties of V3O7 ⋅ H2O electrodes were substantially enhanced through lithium‐ion doping. The Li‐V3O7 ⋅ H2O cathode has a specific capacity of 411.8 mAh g−1 at low current and maintains 83 % of its capacity at 4.0 A g−1 for 4800 cycles, indicating a noteworthy improvement over pristine V3O7 ⋅ H2O. Exhibiting outstanding conductivity, discharge capacity, and cycling stability, it holds immense promise for future high‐performance energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large concentration gradient originating from sluggish ion transport on the surface of Zn metal anodes will result in uneven Zn2+ flux, giving rise to severe dendrite growth, especially at high current density. Herein, an ion acceleration layer is introduced by a facile separator engineering strategy to realize modulated Zn2+ flux and dendrite‐free deposition. Zinc hexacyanoferrate as the modifying agent featuring strong zincophilicity and rapid diffusion tunnel can enable fast trap for Zn2+ near the electrode surface and immediate transport onto deposition sites, respectively. The ion acceleration effect is substantiated by improved ion conductivity, decreased activated energy, and promoted Zn2+ transference number, which can moderate concentration gradient to guide homogenous Zn2+ flux distribution. As a result, the separator engineering guarantees Zn||Zn symmetrical cells with long‐term stability of 2700 h at 2 mA cm−2, and 1770 h at a large current density of 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, cycling stability and rate capability for full cells with different cathodes can be substantially promoted by the modified separator, validating its superior practical feasibility. This study supplies a new scalable approach to tailoring ion flux near the electrode surface to enable robust Zn metal anodes at a high current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc ion hybrid capacitors (ZIHCs) show promise for large‐scale energy storage because of their low cost, highly intrinsic safety, and eco‐friendliness. However, their energy density has been limited by the lack of advanced cathodes. Herein, a high‐capacity cathode material named N‐doped porous carbon (CFeN‐2) is introduced for ZIHCs. CFeN‐2, synthesized through the annealing of coal pitch with FeCl3·6H2O as a catalytic activator and melamine as a nitrogen source, exhibits significant N content (10.95 wt%), a large surface area (1037.66 m2 g−1), abundant lattice defects and ultrahigh microporosity. These characteristics, validated through theoretical simulations and experimental tests, enable a dual‐ion energy storage mechanism involving Zn2+ ions and CF3SO3− anions for CFeN‐2. When used as a cathode in ZIHCs, CFeN‐2 achieves a high‐energy density of 142.5 W h kg−1 and a high‐power density of 9500.1 W kg−1. Furthermore, using CFeN‐2 ZIHCs demonstrate exceptional performance with 77% capacity retention and nearly 100% coulombic efficiency after 10 000 cycles at 10 A g−1, showcasing substantially superior performance to current ZIHCs. This study offers a pathway for developing high‐energy and high‐power cathodes derived from coal pitch carbon for ZIHC applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries provide new solutions for achieving environmentally friendly and safe energy storage devices. Unfortunately, the further application is hampered by the growth of zinc dendrites caused by uneven zinc deposition, hydrogen evolution and other side interfacial reactions at the zinc anode. Herein, a multifunctional Bi‐Bi2O3 hybrid artificial interface layer is constructed on the surface of the zinc anode using an in situ conversion reaction. Among them, the Bi‐Bi2O3 Schottky structure not only significantly accelerates the migration of Zn2+ through its built‐in electric field, but also effectively improves the hydrogen evolution barrier (ΔGH*), thereby suppressing side reactions. Moreover, the Schottky contact formed between the interface layer and the metal zinc interface also regulates the electronic distribution state on the zinc surface and optimizes the deposition process of Zn2+, ensuring a more uniform and orderly zinc deposition process. Based on the synergistic effect of dual Schottky junctions, symmetric batteries achieve stable cycling for 2000 h under the conditions of 1.0 mA cm−2 and 1.0 mAh cm−2. The full cell assembled with α‐MnO2 as the cathode maintains capacity of 112.7 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1 with a capacity retention rate of 84%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is greatly crucial to develop low‐cost energy storage candidates with high safety and stability to replace alkali metal systems for a sustainable future. Recently, aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have received tremendous interest owing to their low cost, high safety, wide oxidation states, and sophisticated fabrication process. Nanostructured manganese (Mn)‐based oxides in different polymorphs are the potential cathode materials for the widespread application of ZIBs. However, Mn‐based oxide materials suffer from several drawbacks, such as low electronic/ionic conductivity and poor cycling performance. To overcome these issues, various structural modification strategies have been adopted to enhance their electrochemical activity, including phase/defect engineering, doping with foreign atoms (e. g., metal and/or nonmetal atoms), and coupling with carbon materials or conducting polymers. Herein, this review targets to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the above‐mentioned strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of the cathodic part of ZIBs. The challenges and suggestions for the development of manganese oxides for ZIBs are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability and reversibility of Zn anode can be greatly improved by in situ construction of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on Zn surface via a low‐cost design strategy of ZnSO4 electrolyte. However, the role of hydrogen bond acceptor ‐SO3 accompanying ZnS formation during SEI reconstruction is overlooked. In this work, we have explored and revealed the new role of ‐SO3 and ZnS in the in situ formed sulfide composite SEI (SCSEI) on Zn anode electrochemistry in ZnSO4 aqueous electrolytes. Structure characterization and DFT demonstrate that the introduction of ‐SO3 can not only reduce the dehydration energy of [Zn(H2O)6]2+, but also enhance the stability of the ZnS/Zn interface and homogenize the ZnS/Zn interface electric field, thereby significantly improving the dynamic kinetics and uniform deposition of Zn2+. Owing to the synergistic effect of ZnS and ‐SO3, a high cycling stability of 1500 h with a cumulative‐plated capacity of 7.5 Ah cm−2 at 10 mA cm−2 has been achieved within the symmetrical cell. Furthermore, the full cell with NH4V4O10 cathode exhibits outstanding cyclic stability, exceeding 2000 cycles at 5 A g−1 and maintaining a Coulombic efficiency of 100 %. These new insights into anionic synergistic strategy could significantly enhance the practical application of zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VO2 is considered as one of the most likely cathode materials to be commercialized for large‐scale application in AZIBs and is at the forefront of aqueous batteries, but its lower electrical conductivity, slower Zn2+ mobility, as well as voltage degradation and structural collapse due to vanadium solubilization have limited its further development. Herein, a Co‐substitution engineering strategy is proposed, which is introducing heteroatom Co2+ doping substitution and oxygen vacancy substitution to stabilize structure and promote ionic/electronic conductivity, leading an enhanced Zn ion storage behavior. The Co‐substituted VO2 (Co0.03V0.97O2‐x, denote as Ov‐CoVO) is reported in this paper, Co‐substitution inhibits vanadium dissolution of VO2 in AZIBs, even in the acetionitrile system. DFT calculations show that Ov‐CoVO has a more stable structure as well as a faster electronic/ionic conductivity. Consequently, the Ov‐CoVO||ZnOTF||Zn battery (aqueous) can deliver a remarkable capacity of 475 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 with 99.1% capacity retention after 200 cycles, still maintains excellent cycling stability in Ov‐CoVO||ZnTFSI||Zn (acetionitrile electrolyte) at 0.1 A g−1. In addition, compared to VO2, the charge transfer resistance and Zn2+ iffusion coefficient of Ov‐CoVO are significantly enhanced. This work broadens the scope for research cathode materials for high performance ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main challenge for aqueous zinc‐ion capacitors is the low stability of zinc anode. In this study, a Prussian blue analog (PBA) has been coated on the surface of zinc foil to create an inorganic protective layer. This layer features a three‐dimensional open microporous structure, which not only endows it with excellent pseudocapacitive properties but also serves as an effective barrier against dendrite growth. The presence of PBA coating can increase the nucleation point of zinc ions and provide a low‐energy barrier for the rapid migration of zinc ions. Hence, the PBA@Zn ||PBA@Zn symmetric cell exhibits exceptional cycling stability, enduring over 1400 h of operation at a current density of 1 mA cm−2 and a capacity of 1 mAh cm−2. The PBA@Zn||AC capacitor demonstrated a discharge capacity of 46.23 mAh g−1 after 10 000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1, with a capacity retention of 92.41%, whereas the discharge capacity of Zn||AC capacitor is only 16.02 mAh g−1, with a capacity retention of 23.13%. The PBA@Zn||AC capacitor exhibited remarkable endurance and stability, retaining a substantial discharge capacity of 32.7 mAh g−1 after 10 000 cycles at 10 A g−1. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations also show that PBA has a strong interaction with Zn and exhibits superior zincophilic ability. This study reports industrially applicable low‐cost Prussian blue analogs as artificial interfacial protective layers for improving the cycling stability of zinc anode with a low‐energy barrier for rapid migration of zinc ions especially at high current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring cathode materials with excellent electrochemical performance is crucial for developing rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (RAZIBs). Zinc hexacyanoferrate (ZnHCF), a promising candidate of cathode materials for RAZIBs, suffers from severe electrochemical instability issues. This work reports using low contents of alkaline metal cations as electrolyte additives to improve the cycle performance of ZnHCF. The cations with large sizes, particularly Cs+, changes the intercalation chemistry of ZnHCF in RAZIBs. During cycling, Cs+ cations co‐inserted into ZnHCF stabilize the host structure. Meanwhile, a stable phase of CsZn[Fe(CN)6] forms on the ZnHCF cathode, suppressing the loss of active materials through dissolution. ZnHCF gradually converts to an electrochemically inert Zn‐rich phase during long‐term cycling in aqueous electrolyte, leading to irreversible capacity loss. Introducing Cs+ in the electrolyte inhibits this conversion reaction, resulting in the extended lifespan. Owing to these advantages, the capacity retention rate of ZnHCF/Zn full batteries increases from the original 7.0 % to a high value of 54.6 % in the electrolyte containing 0.03 M of Cs2SO4 after 300 cycles at 0.25 A ⋅ g−1. This research provides an in‐depth understanding of the electrochemical behavior of ZnHCF in aqueous zinc electrolyte, beneficial for further optimizing ZnHCF and other metal hexacyanoferrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable zinc‐ion batteries are considered an ideal energy storage system due to their low cost and nonflammable aqueous electrolyte. However, dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction, and self‐corrosion of zinc anode brought about serious safety risks including short circuits and electrode expansion. Therefore, a modified host‐design strategy with a 3D porous structure and bulk‐phase penetrated zincophilic interface is proposed to boost the stability and lifetime of the Zn anode. The porous Zn substrate is constructed by universal HCl etching and the uniform and tight Sn‐penetrated zincophilic interface is formed by effective electron beam evaporation (EBE). The porous substrate can uniform zinc ion flux and the Sn coating could effectively improve zinc ion deposition behavior, thus inhibiting the risk of dendrites growth and side reaction. As a result, the 3D Zn substrate with Sn interface (3D Zn@Sn) exhibits prolonged galvanostatic cycling performance up to 4500 h with a low polarization of ≈25 mV (1 mA cm−2, 1 mAh cm−2) in the symmetric cell. The full cell assembled with KVOH@Ti could maintain a high specific capacity of 148.6 mAh g−1 after 500 galvanostatic cycles (10 A g−1). This work proposed an improved electrode design to realize the high performance of zinc ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganous‐manganic oxide (Mn3O4), akin to other manganese‐based oxides, faces several critical challenges such as substantial capacity fading and limited rate performance due to its inferior electrical conductivity, in addition to the inevitable dissociation of Mn2+. To address these issues, we introduce for the first time a novel carbon‐coated Mn3O4/Na2CO3 (Mn3O4/Na2CO3/C) composite material. Comprehensive characterizations indicate that Na2CO3 effectively curtails Mn2+dissolution, enhances carbon encapsulation throughout charging/discharging cycles, and exposes additional active sites on the Mn3O4/Na2CO3/C composite. Electrochemical assessments confirm that the Mn3O4/Na2CO3/C‐2 cathode exhibits exceptional electrochemical performance, outperforming other cathodes in the ZnSO4 system. Moreover, the Mn3O4/Na2CO3/C‐2 cathode delivers a high specific capacity of ~550 mAh gM−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and maintains a significant capacity of ~230 mAh g−1 after 360 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 within the 2.0 M ZnSO4+0.2 M MnSO4 electrolyte system, demonstrating its potential as a high‐performance cathode material for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high‐performance ion battery anode materials is conducive to the rapid development of urban rail transit. Based on first‐principles calculations, this paper studies the potential performance of the recently discovered two‐dimensional material SnSe2 as a negative electrode for zinc ion batteries. By calculating the adsorption energy, the most stable adsorption configuration of Zn was determined. The band gap of intrinsic SnSe2 decreases after strain, which promotes the transition of carriers. The band gap opens after the strain occurs in the Zn adsorbed SnSe2 system (Zn‐SnSe2), which confirms the regulation of strain on the band gap. The lowest diffusion barrier of Zn is 0.083 eV. The theoretical zinc storage capacity is calculated to be 387.550 mAh/g. The calculation results provide theoretical parameters for the application of SnSe2 in ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal‐free rocking chair type Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs) provide a promising approach toward the promotion of the Zn‐based batteries by circumventing the challenges including dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and surface corrosion. In order to sufficiently exploit the available capacity of this metal‐free batteries, it is necessary to effectively enhance the sluggish reaction kinetics of divalent zinc ions. Equally important is to achieve a balance in the kinetics between cathode and anode. Here, hetero‐valent doping and oxygen vacancy engineering are employed to effectively enhance the reaction dynamics of V2O5 cathodes and MoO3 anodes. Moreover, to the best of the knowledge, for the first time, the strategy of kinetics matching between the two electrodes is applied to the construction of rocking‐chair zinc ion batteries, enabling the cathode and anode to share similar zinc ion migration rates, and achieving a high energy density of up to 58.7 Wh kg−1 (based on the total electrode mass) as well as excellent cycling stability (90% after 500 cycles). This work demonstrates the importance of kinetics matching in zinc‐ion full‐cell performance and pave a benefitable avenue to for the pursuit of advanced multi‐valent metal‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries have received unprecedented attention owing to their superior safety and sustainability, yet their cycling stability especially at high current rates is greatly limited by the poor reversibility of Zn metal anodes, due to the delayed ion transport, severe water‐induced side reactions, and uncontrollable dendrites growth at electrolyte/electrode interface. Herein, a robust and multi‐scale functionally designed amorphous ZnWO4 (ZWO) artificial interphase that fully addresses the aforementioned issues, is proposed. The modified Zn anodes deliver remarkable stability, surpassing 3000 h of operation at a high current density of 20 mA cm−2 in symmetrical cells. Even under harsh conditions of 20 mA cm−2 and 10 mAh cm−2, the electrode demonstrates steady cycling for over 600 h with low overpotential. The excellent cycling stability and rate performance are mainly attributed to a range of collective functionalities of ZWO interphase, including short‐range and isotropic ion migration, superior ion‐screening capability, and a thermodynamically enhanced energy barrier for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during Zn plating. These findings highlight the significance of the multi‐scale functional interphase in overcoming key barriers associated with zinc anodes under high current density, offering a facile and insightful approach for achieving high‐performance Zn metal anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries are widely recognized as promising alternatives to lithium batteries due to their excellent safety, environmental compatibility, and cost‐effectiveness. Nonetheless, the formation of dendrites, corrosion, and undesirable side reactions on the zinc surface pose significant challenges to the cycling stability of zinc‐ion batteries. In this study, polar propylene carbonate (PC) is paired with tetrafluoroborate anions to establish a strong ion‐dipole interaction. Strong ion‐dipole interaction can not only alter the solvation structure of zinc ions but also facilitate the formation of a dynamic double electric layer on the surface of the zinc electrode, suppressing the formation of ZnF2 interface and carbonate, thereby facilitating uniform zinc ion deposition, and consequently improving battery cycling stability over a broad temperature range. Concretely, the formulated electrolyte enhances the cycling stability of the battery over a wide temperature range of −30 to 40 °C, accompanied by a capacity retention of ≈100% even after 10 000 cycles at −30 °C. The symmetrical battery utilizing this electrolyte exhibits stable cycling performance for over 1200 h at 25 °C and 1900 h at −30 °C, respectively. The findings provide a promising direction for the development of long‐cycle batteries capable of operating over a wide temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallo‐β‐lactamases (MBLs), enzymes of class B, employ zinc ions to degrade β‐lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and cephamycins. Carbapenem‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is linked to the existence of carbapenemase enzymes such as oxacillinase and MBL. The most prevalent resistance mechanisms include imipenemases (IMP), verona integron‐encoded MBL, and New Delhi MBL‐1. The effectiveness of current antibiotics against the MBL enzyme is limited due to the presence of metal ions, underscoring the need for new antimicrobial agents. Recent research has demonstrated that natural compounds can effectively inhibit MBL. This study aims to screen natural phytochemicals against IMP‐2 MBL using in silico virtual screening techniques via AutoDock Vina and molecular dynamic simulations with GROMACS for 200 ns, followed by molecular mechanics/Poisson‒Boltzmann surface area analysis. This procedure identified new lead molecules against A. baumannii that produce IMP. A total of 588 natural compounds were screened against IMP, along with the imipenem substrate and known inhibitors of L‐captopril. The top four compounds, N025‐0038 (NC1), N062‐0008 (NC2), eupalitin, and Rosmorinic acid, demonstrated binding affinities of ‒8.5, ‒8.4, ‒7.5, and ‒7.2 kcal/mol, respectively. The structural stability of these complexes was observed to be maintained throughout the simulation in a dynamic environment, as determined by molecular dynamics trajectory analysis, and all these compounds met the SWISS‐ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties. NC1 and NC2 compounds are considered potential drug molecules against IMP. However, while these selected compounds showed superior binding energy in computational analysis, further in vitro analysis is required to establish an effective drug regimen against A. baumannii that produces IMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical self‐recharging zinc ion batteries (ZIBs), which are capable of auto‐recharging in ambient air, are promising in self‐powered battery systems. Nevertheless, the exclusive reliance on chemical energy from oxygen for ZIBs charging often would bring some obstacles in charging efficiency. Herein, we develop photo‐assisted chemical self‐recharging aqueous ZIBs with a heterojunction of MoS2/SnO2 cathode, which are favorable to enhancing both the charging and discharging efficiency as well as the chemical self‐charging capabilities under illumination. The photo‐assisted process promotes the electron transfer from MoS2/SnO2 to oxygen, accelerating the occurrence of the oxidation reaction during chemical self‐charging. Furthermore, the electrons within the MoS2/SnO2 cathode exhibit a low transfer impedance under illumination, which is beneficial to reducing the migration barrier of Zn2+ within the cathode and thereby facilitating the uniform inserting of Zn2+ into MoS2/SnO2 cathode during discharging. This photo‐assisted chemical self‐recharging mechanism enables ZIBs to attain a maximum self‐charging potential of 0.95 V within 3 hours, a considerable self‐charging capacity of 202.5 mAh g−1 and excellent cycling performance in a self‐charging mode. This work not only provides a route for optimizing chemical self‐charging energy storage, but also broadens the potential application of aqueous ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The redox activities of polyaniline (PANI) are hindered by the instability of pernigraniline salt (PS) state which degrades into oligo‐aniline. In this work, the use of protic additives is examined to mitigate capacity fading and increase utilization of PANI in nonaqueous electrolytes. The protic additive propylene glycol, with its hydrogen‐bonding capabilities, stabilizes the PS PANI and promotes reversible redox reactions, facilitating high capacity and an extended cycle lifetime for applications in metal ion supercapacitors. The use of this protic nonaqueous electrolyte in a PANI–zinc device results in an energy density of 255 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1.8 kW kg−1 and a robust cycle lifetime of 3,850 charge/discharge cycles. The PANI at a high current density of 6.5 mA cm−2 reaches a capacity of 257 mAh g−1, equivalent to 87% of the its theoretical capacity, showcasing the effectiveness of the protic additive in improving both capacity and cycle life in electrochemical supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadate is one of the promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) due to its abundant resources and various valence states. However, the further development is restricted by their sluggish reaction kinetics between zinc ions and the host materials. In this work, several kinds of gallium ions pre‐intercalated vanadate electrode materials through a simple hydrothermal strategy are designed. Ga‐NHVO‐0.5 sample achieves a specific capacity of 438.23 mAh g−1 at current density of 0.2 A g−1. At the same time, it delivers an energy density of 250.34 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 55 W kg−1. The assembled button cells retain 83.84% of its initial capacity after 4000 times cycling, revealing their promising applications in portable power devices. Moreover, the devices still possess a favorable stability under different bending conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered significant research interest as promising next‐generation energy storage technologies owing to their affordability and high level of safety. However, their restricted ionic conductivity at subzero temperatures, along with dendrite formation and subsequent side reactions, unavoidably hinder the implementation of grid‐scale applications. In this study, a novel bimetallic cation‐enhanced gel polymer electrolyte (Ni/Zn‐GPE) was engineered to address these issues. The Ni/Zn‐GPE effectively disrupted the hydrogen‐bonding network of water, resulting in a significant reduction in the freezing point of the electrolyte. Consequently, the designed electrolyte demonstrates an impressive ionic conductivity of 28.70 mS cm−1 at −20°C. In addition, Ni2+ creates an electrostatic shielding interphase on the Zn surface, which confines the sequential Zn2+ nucleation and deposition to the Zn (002) crystal plane. Moreover, the intrinsically high activation energy of the Zn (002) crystal plane generated a dense and dendrite‐free plating/stripping morphology and resisted side reactions. Consequently, symmetrical batteries can achieve over 2700 hours of reversible cycling at 5 mA cm−2, while the Zn || V2O5 battery retains 85.3% capacity after 1000 cycles at −20°C. This study provides novel insights for the development and design of reversible low‐temperature zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc metal anodes are gaining popularity in aqueous electrochemical energy storage systems for their high safety, cost‐effectiveness, and high capacity. However, the service life of zinc metal anodes is severely constrained by critical challenges, including dendrites, water‐induced hydrogen evolution, and passivation. In this study, a protective two‐dimensional metal–organic framework interphase is in situ constructed on the zinc anode surface with a novel gel vapor deposition method. The ultrathin interphase layer (~1 μm) is made of layer‐stacking 2D nanosheets with angstrom‐level pores of around 2.1 Å, which serves as an ion sieve to reject large solvent–ion pairs while homogenizes the transport of partially desolvated zinc ions, contributing to a uniform and highly reversible zinc deposition. With the shielding of the interphase layer, an ultra‐stable zinc plating/stripping is achieved in symmetric cells with cycling over 1000 h at 0.5 mA cm−2 and ~700 h at 1 mA cm−2, far exceeding that of the bare zinc anodes (250 and 70 h). Furthermore, as a proof‐of‐concept demonstration, the full cell paired with MnO2 cathode demonstrates improved rate performances and stable cycling (1200 cycles at 1 A g−1). This work provides fresh insights into interphase design to promote the performance of zinc metal anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries are thought to be a new generation of secondary batteries that will replace lithium‐ion batteries due to their great safety and inexpensive cost. In the cathode materials of aqueous zinc ion batteries with long life and high capacity, abundant active sites and crystal structure stability play an important role. In the present work, the strategy of Na+ intercalation of Fe2VO4 (FVO) is proposed, aiming at the insertion of Na+, which not only enriches the active sites, but also sodium and iron ions act as guest species with the negatively charged VOx lattice to provide strong electrostatic attraction to stabilize the lamellar structure. In terms of electrochemical performance, the discharge specific capacity is 370 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, and when the current density is arising 5 A g−1, the specific capacity also reaches 200 mAh g−1 after cycling 2000 with a capacity retention of 99 %, which is better than the electrochemical performance of Fe2VO4 (FVO) alone at 50 mAh g−1. The superior electrochemical performance proves that FVO−Na is an ideal cathode material for zinc ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical Performance of aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (AZIBs) is prominently constrained by poor stability of zinc‐metal anodes. However, the use of conventional aqueous separators unfavorable to the uniform deposition of Zn metal and restricted cell cycle life, has hindered the large‐scale application of such battery systems. Here, a separator with hydrophobic/hydrophilic structural domains (marked as PP‐g‐AA) is reported, where the polypropylene (PP) polymer backbone permits partial blockage of water molecules and prevent side reactions, and the carboxyl functional groups in the grafted acrylic acid (AA) facilitate to well regulate the interfacial electric field and Zn2+ ion concentration field, thus remarkably promotes homogenization of zinc ion flux, achieving dendritic‐free deposition of Zn2+. Moreover, the PP‐g‐AA separator sustains a long‐term cycling over 4000 h at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 with a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.6% achieved in Zn||Cu cells, which if assembled into Zn||Zn0.27V2O5·nH2O (ZVO) cells would yield ≈100% retention for 1000 cycles. This research highlights that the strategy opens up a new avenue based on PP‐g‐AA for further decreasing the cost and promoting the industrial application of AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic competition is a zero‐sum game between bacterial biofilms and host immune responses on the surface of medical implants. In an in vitro biofilm‐macrophages co‐culture system, it is found that suppressed lipid metabolic processes in host macrophages in the biofilm microenvironment correlates with immune tolerance and intracellular persistence. Reactivation of immune cells against bacterial infection by reprogramming lipid metabolism through the supply of lipids such as oleic acid (OA) is a promising strategy, but this cannot completely destroy the bacterial biofilms. Nanomaterial‐based zinc ion interference therapy in antibacterial field emerges relying on the outstanding benefits of nanomaterials. Therefore, a targeted nano‐fat HSA‐IR820@OA@ZIF‐8 (HIROZ) with near infrared‐II (NIR‐II) photothermal capacities is developed for the destrcution of the biofilms via zinc ion combined photothermal therapy. The improved cellular compatibility and enhanced intracellular uptake make HIROZ induce intracellular lipid droplets (LDs) formation in macrophages. Photothermal combined zinc ion‐induced metabolic interference augments the antimicrobial effect of LDs and activates lipometabolic reprogramming‐mediated antibacterial immune responses via mitochondrial stress. In the mouse wound biofilm infections model and subcutaneous implant‐associated biofilm infections (IABIs) model, HIROZ demonstrates sustained and thorough biofilm scavenging based on reprogramming of lipid metabolism, providing a new idea for metabolic interference‐centered therapeutic strategies for full‐scale IABIs eliminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porous structure is critical for carbonaceous electrode‐based zinc‐ion capacitors (ZICs) to achieve excellent electrochemical performance, but the corresponding porous structure‐electrochemical performance relationship is yet to be fully understand. Herein, three types of N‐doped carbons with different porous structures are developed to investigate the relationship between the pore size distribution and the electrochemical performance of the devices. The optimized porous carbon (LVCR) exhibits large electrochemical surface area, plentiful oxygen functional groups, and hierarchical porous structure that facilitates electron transfer and ion diffusion. Consequently, the LVCR‐based ZIC exhibits a remarkable peak power density of 31.4 kW kg−1 and an impressive specific energy density of 126.6 Wh kg−1. Moreover, it demonstrates exceptional longevity, retaining the capacitance of 97.7% even after undergoing 50 000 cycles. Systematic characterization demonstrates that the macroporous and mesoporous structures determine the different stages of Zn2+ storage kinetics. The excellent Zn2+ storage and electrochemical performance of LVCR are attributed to the fast ion transport channels provided by the hierarchical porous structure and facilitated reversible chemisorption and desorption. This work not only deepens the understanding of charge storage mechanism, but also provides guidelines for rationally designing carbonaceous materials toward high‐performance ZICs in the view of porous structure‐electrochemical performance relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slow transport dynamics and poor dendritic growth significantly hinder the performance of zinc metal batteries. Here, a unique difunctional ion rectification strategy is developed using vacuum evaporation technology to design a coated separator for efficient ion transport. The highly conductive Cu‐coated separator acts as an ion redistributor, ensuring homogenized electric field distribution. The excellent znophilicity of the copper coating acts as an ion accelerator, promoting ion transport and facilitating face‐to‐face zinc deposition on the separator. Consequently, this synergy enables stable battery operation at high current densities (cumulative capacity up to 10 800 mAh cm−2 at 8 mA cm−2) and high depth of discharge (over 200 h at 94% DOD). The Cu‐coated separator exhibits a reversible plating/stripping life of over 2400 h with an average coulombic efficiency of 99.88%. Notably, the Cu‐coated separator significantly enhances the rate performance and cycle capacity of Zn||V6O13 and Zn||MnO2 full cells. This functional separator with a difunctional ion rectification strategy presents a promising solution to the challenge of zinc metal anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cathode materials are usually the key to determining battery capacity, suitable cathode materials are an important prerequisite to meet the needs of large‐scale energy storage systems in the future. Polyanionic compounds have significant advantages in metal ion storage, such as high operating voltage, excellent structural stability, safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness, and can be excellent cathode options for rechargeable metal‐ion batteries. Although some polyanionic compounds have been commercialized, there are still some shortcomings in electronic conductivity, reversible specific capacity, and rate performance, which obviously limits the development of polyanionic compound cathodes in large‐scale energy storage systems. Up to now, many strategies including structural design, ion doping, surface coating, and electrolyte optimization have been explored to improve the above defects. Based on the above contents, this paper briefly reviews the research progress and optimization strategies of typical polyanionic compound cathodes in the fields of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and other promising metal ion batteries (sodium ion batteries (SIBs), potassium ion batteries (PIBs), magnesium ion batteries (MIBs), calcium ion batteries (CIBs), zinc ion batteries (ZIBs), aluminum ion batteries (AIBs), etc.), aiming to provide a valuable reference for accelerating the commercial application of polyanionic compound cathodes in rechargeable battery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel bionic periosteum (BP)‐bioactive glass fiber membrane (BGFM) is designed. The introduction of magnesium ion (Mg2+) and zinc ion (Zn2+) change the phase separation during the electrospinning (ES) jet stretching process. The fiber's pore structure transitions from connected to closed pores, resulting in a decrease in the rapid release of metal ions while also improving degradation via reducing filling quality. Additionally, the introduction of magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) lead to the formation of negative charged tetrahedral units (MgO42− and ZnO42−) in the glass network. These units effectively trap positive charged metal ions, further inhibiting ion release. In vitro experiments reveal that the deigned bionic periosteum regulates the polarization of macrophages toward M2 type, thereby establishing a conducive immune environment for osteogenic differentiation. Bioinformatics analysis indicate that BP enhanced bone repair via the JAK‐STAT signaling pathway. The slow release of metal ions from the bionic periosteum can directly enhance osteogenic differentiation and vascularization, thereby accelerating bone regeneration. Finally, the bionic periosteum exhibits remarkable capabilities in angiogenesis and osteogenesis, demonstrating its potential for bone repair in a rat calvarial defect model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel electrolytes (HEs) hold great promise in tackling severe issues emerging in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries, but the prevalent salting‐out effect of kosmotropic salt causes low ionic conductivity and electrochemical instability. Herein, a subtle molecular bridging strategy is proposed to enhance the compatibility between PVA and ZnSO4 from the perspective of hydrogen‐bonding microenvironment re‐construction. By introducing urea containing both an H‐bond acceptor and donor, the broken H‐bonds between PVA and H2O, initiated by the SO42−‐driven H2O polarization, could be re‐united via intense intermolecular hydrogen bonds, thus leading to greatly increased carrying capacity of ZnSO4. The urea‐modified PVA‐ZnSO4 HEs featuring a high ionic conductivity up to 31.2 mS cm−1 successfully solves the sluggish ionic transport dilemma at the solid‐solid interface. Moreover, an organic solid‐electrolyte‐interphase can be derived from the in situ electro‐polymerization of urea to prohibit H2O‐involved side reactions, thereby prominently improving the reversibility of Zn chemistry. Consequently, Zn anodes witness an impressive lifespan extension from 50 h to 2200 h at 0.1 mA cm−2 while the Zn‐I2 full battery maintains a remarkable Coulombic efficiency (>99.7 %) even after 8000 cycles. The anti‐salting‐out strategy proposed in this work provides an insightful concept for addressing the phase separation issue of functional HEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible and high‐performance aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs), coupled with low cost and safe, are considered as one of the most promising energy storage candidates for wearable electronics. Hydrogel electrolytes present a compelling alternative to liquid electrolytes due to their remarkable flexibility and clear advantages in mitigating parasitic side reactions. However, hydrogel electrolytes suffer from poor mechanical properties and interfacial chemistry, which limits them to suppressed performance levels in flexible ZIBs, especially under harsh mechanical strains. Herein, a bio‐inspired multifunctional hydrogel electrolyte network (polyacrylamide (PAM)/trehalose) with improved mechanical and adhesive properties was developed via a simple trehalose network‐repairing strategy to stabilize the interfacial chemistry for dendrite‐free and long‐life flexible ZIBs. As a result, the trehalose‐modified PAM hydrogel exhibits a superior strength and stretchability up to 100 kPa and 5338 %, respectively, as well as strong adhesive properties to various substrates. Also, the PAM/trehalose hydrogel electrolyte provides superior anti‐corrosion capability for Zn anode and regulates Zn nucleation/growth, resulting in achieving a high Coulombic efficiency of 98.8 %, and long‐term stability over 2400 h. Importantly, the flexible Zn//MnO2 pouch cell exhibits excellent cycling performance under different bending conditions, which offers a great potential in flexible energy‐related applications and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered one of the most prospective new‐generation electrochemical energy storage devices with the advantages of high specific capacity, good safety, and high economic efficiency. Nevertheless, the enduring problems of low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and inadequate cycling stability of zinc anodes, originating from dendrites, hydrogen precipitation and passivation, are closely tied to their thermodynamic instability in aqueous electrolytes, which significantly shortens the cycle life of the battery. Electrolyte additives can solve the above difficulties and are important for the advancement of affordable and reliable AZIBs. Organic electrolyte additives have attracted widespread attention due to their unique properties, however, there is a lack of systematic discussion on the performance and mechanism of action of organic electrolyte additives. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the application of organic electrolyte additives in AZIBs is presented. The role of organic electrolyte additives in stabilizing zinc anodes is described and evaluated. Finally, further potential directions and prospects for improving and directing organic electrolyte additives for AZIBs are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) with metallic Zn anode have the potential for large‐scale energy storage application due to their cost‐effectiveness, safety, environmental‐friendliness, and ease of preparation. However, the concerns regarding dendrite growth and side reactions on Zn anode surface hamper the commercialization of AZIBs. This review aims to give a comprehensive evaluation of the protective interphase construction and provide guidance to further improve the electrochemical performance of AZIBs. The failure behaviors of the Zn metal anode including dendrite growth, corrosion, and hydrogen evolution are analyzed. Then, the applications and mechanisms of the constructed interphases are introduced, which are classified by the material species. The fabrication methods of the artificial interfaces are summarized and evaluated, including the in‐situ strategy and ex‐situ strategy. Finally, the characterization means are discussed to give a full view for the study of Zn anode protection. Based on the analysis of this review, a stable and high‐performance Zn anode could be designed by carefully choosing applied material, corresponding protective mechanism, and appropriate construction technique. Additionally, this review for Zn anode modification and construction techniques for anode protection in AZIBs may be helpful in other aqueous metal batteries with similar problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prussian blue analogues are highly promising electrode materials due to their versatile electrochemical activity and low cost. However, they often suffer from severe structural damage caused by the Jahn–Teller distortion and dissolution of high‐spin outer metal ions, resulting in poor cycle life. Material modification and electrolyte regulation have been the common approaches to address this issue, albeit with very limited success. We report here a novel and efficient strategy to preserve structural stability by co‐inserting Co2+ and Zn2+ ions in KCo[Fe(CN)6]. This co‐insertion induced a spontaneous and reversible phase conversion by the replacement of low‐spin inner ion (Fe3+), which efficiently relieves structural damage caused by Jahn–Teller distortion and metal‐ion dissolution, leading to an outstanding Zn2+ storage capacity and an exceptional improvement of cycle life with a capacity retention of 97.7 % over 4400 cycles at 40 C. We also demonstrated the enhancement of co‐intercalation on ion migration using a combined approach of experimental and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work provides an important progress to solve the cycle stability of Prussian blue analogues towards their practical application as electrode materials for aqueous batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate the inhibition effects of Zn2+ and Cd2+ on the luciferin–luciferase reaction, we performed quantitative measurements of quantum yields and spectral shapes for in vitro firefly bioluminescence in aqueous solutions containing ZnSO4, ZnCl2, CdSO4, and CdCl2 at different concentrations. Particular care was taken toward the equilibrium between metal ions and enzyme proteins, anion difference, solubility, and uncertainty evaluation. The bioluminescence quantum yields decreased almost linearly to the concentration of Zn2+ and Cd2+ below 0.25 mM. No obvious difference was found between the chloride and sulfate anion solutions. We defined inhibition sensitivity as the decrease in relative quantum yield versus the concentration of metal ions, and they were determined to be 1.48 ± 0.13 and 1.13 ± 0.16/mM for Zn2+ and Cd2+, respectively. We estimated the detection limit of inhibition effects as the concentration of metal ions that decrease relative quantum yields by 10%, which were 0.07 mM (4 ppm) and 0.09 mM (10 ppm) for Zn2+ and Cd2+, respectively. The shape of the bioluminescence spectra changed sensitively with the increase in Zn2+ concentrations. The bioluminescence peak energy for 0.10‐mM Zn2+ was ~2.2 eV, while that for 0.25‐mM Zn2+ was ~2.0 eV. The shape of the spectra changed less sensitively with the increase in Cd2+concentrations, and the peak energy was at ~2.2 eV for Cd2+ concentrations of 0.10 and 0.25 mM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intratumor microbiota results in the immunosuppressive microenvironment and facilitates tumor growth and metastasis. However, developing a synergistic therapy with antitumor, antibacterial, and antimetastatic effects faces enormous challenges. Here, we propose an innovative metal chelation therapy to effectively eliminate tumor and intratumor bacteria and suppress tumor metastasis. Different from traditional chelation therapy that only consumes metal elements, this therapy not only eliminates the crucial metal elements for tumor metabolism but also releases new metal ions with antitumor and antibacterial properties. Based on the high demand for copper in breast cancer, we prepare a fibrous therapeutic nanoagent (Zn‐PEN) by chelating the copper chelator D‐Penicillamine (D‐PEN) with Zn2+. Firstly, Zn‐PEN achieves dual inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis metabolism in breast cancer through copper depletion and Zn2+ activated cGAS‐STING pathway, thus inducing tumor cell death. Secondly, Zn‐PEN has the capability to eradicate Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) in breast cancer, thereby mitigating its immunosuppressive impact on the tumor microenvironment. Finally, Zn‐PEN effectively inhibits tumor metastasis through multiple routes, including the inhibition of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, activation of cGAS‐STING pathway, and elimination with F. nucleatum. Therefore, we verify the feasibility of Zn‐PEN mediated metal chelation therapy in a 4T1 model infected with F. nucleatum, providing a new therapeutic strategy for inhibiting tumor metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitic side reactions and dendrite growth on zinc anodes are formidable issues causing limited lifetime of aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs). Herein, a spontaneous cascade optimization strategy is first proposed to regulate Zn2+ migration‐diffusion behavior. Specifically, PAPE@Zn layer with separation‐reconstruction properties is constructed in situ on Zn anode. In this layer, well‐soluble poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) can spontaneously separation to bulk electrolyte and weaken the preferential coordination between H2O and Zn2+ to achieve primary optimization. Meanwhile, poor‐soluble polymerized‐4‐acryloylmorpholine (PACMO) is reconstructed on Zn anode as hydrophobic flower‐like arrays with abundant zincophilic sites, further guiding the de‐solvation and homogeneous diffusion of Zn2+ to achieve the secondary optimization. Cascade optimization effectively regulates Zn2+ migration‐diffusion behavior, dendrite growth and side reactions of Zn anode are negligible, and the stability is significantly improved. Consequently, symmetrical cells exhibit stability over 4000 h (1 mA cm−2). PAPE@Zn//NH4+−V2O5 full cells with a high current density of 15 A g−1 maintains 72.2 % capacity retention for 12000 cycles. Even better, the full cell demonstrates excellent performance of cumulative capacity of 2.33 Ah cm−2 at ultra‐low negative/positive (N/P) ratio of 0.6 and a high mass‐loading (~17 mg cm−2). The spontaneous cascade optimization strategy provides novel path to achieve high‐performance and practical ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered vanadium‐based oxides have emerged as highly promising candidates for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their open‐framework layer structure and high theoretical capacity among the diverse cathode materials investigated. However, the susceptibility to structural collapse during charge‐discharge cycling severely hampers their advancement. Herein, we propose an effective strategy to enhance the cycling stability of vanadium oxides. Initially, the structural integrity of the host material is significantly reinforced by incorporating bi‐cations Na+ and NH4+ as "pillars" between the V2O5 layers (NaNVO). Subsequently, surface coating with polyaniline (PA) is employed to further improve the conductivity of the active material. As anticipated, the assembled Zn//NaNVO@PA cell exhibits a remarkable discharge capacity of 492 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and exceptional capacity retention up to 89.2 % after 1000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. Moreover, a series of in‐situ and ex‐situ characterization techniques were utilized to investigate both Zn ions insertion/extraction storage mechanism and the contribution of polyaniline protonation process towards enhancing capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring effective and controlled zinc ion transportation is crucial for functionality of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and overall performance in zinc‐based battery systems. Herein the first‐ever demonstration of incorporate cation‐π interactions are provided in the SEI to effectively facilitate uniform zinc ion flux. The artificial SEI design involves the immobilization of 4‐amino‐p‐terphenyl (TPA), a strong amphiphilic cation‐π interaction donor, as a monolayer onto a conductive poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) matrix, which enable the establishment of a robust network of cation‐π interactions. Through a carefully‐designed interfacial polymerization process, a high‐quality, large‐area, robust is achieved, thin polymeric TPA/PEDOT (TP) film for the use of artificial SEI. Consequently, this interphase exhibits exceptional cycling stability with low overpotential and enables high reversibility of Zn plating/stripping. Symmetrical cells with TP/Zn electrodes can be cycled for more than 3200 hours at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2. And the asymmetric cells can cycle 3000 cycles stably with a high Coulomb efficiency of 99.78%. Also, under the extreme conditions of lean electrolyte and low N/P ratio, the battery with TP protective layer can still achieve ultra‐stable cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Citrus products often suffer from delayed bitterness, which is generated from the conversion of non‐bitter precursors (limonoate A‐ring lactone, LARL) to limonin under the catalysis of limonin D‐ring lactone hydrolase (LDLH). In this study, LDLH was isolated and purified from sweet orange seeds, and a rapid and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography method to quantify LARL was developed and applied to analyze the activity and enzymatic properties of purified LDLH. RESULTS: Purified LDLH (25.22 U mg−1) showed bands of 245 kDa and 17.5 kDa molecular weights in native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and sodium dodecyl sulfate PAGE analysis respectively. After a 24 h incubation under strongly acidic (pH 3) or strongly alkaline (pH 9) conditions, LDLH still retained approximately 100% activity. Moreover, LDLH activity was not impaired by thermal treatment at 50 °C for 120 min. Enzyme inhibition assays showed that LDLH was inactivated only after ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid treatment, and other enzyme inhibitors showed no significant effect on its activity. In addition, the LDLH activity of calcium ion (Ca2+) intervention was 108% of that in the blank group, and that of zinc ion (Zn2+) intervention was 71%. CONCLUSION: LDLH purified in this study was a multimer containing 17.5 kDa monomer with a wide pH tolerance range (pH 3–9) and excellent thermal stability. Moreover, LDLH might be a metallopeptidase, and its activity was stimulated by Ca2+ and significantly inhibited by Zn2+. These findings improve our understanding of LDLH and provide some important implications for reducing the bitterness in citrus products in the future. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of flexible Zn‐ion batteries (FZIBs) significantly hinges on the development of gel electrolytes, characterized by their mechanical properties, ionic conductivity, and environmentally friendly production processes. The prevailing challenge in this domain has been devising a gel electrolyte that encapsulates all these critical attributes effectively for practical application. This study presents a novel zinc ion gel (Zn‐gel) electrolyte developed for FZIBs, synthesized via ethanol vapor‐induced assembly of cellulose molecules. This innovative process fosters significant hydrogen bonding and ion‐complexation with Zn2+ ions, resulting in a gel with exceptional mechanical strength (0.88 MPa), high ion transference (over 0.7), and impressive ionic conductivity (8.39 mS cm−1). The Zn‐gel enables a FZIB to achieve a reversible capacity of 207.3 mAh g−1 and over 93% Coulombic efficiency after 500 cycles, devoid of liquid electrolyte. Highlighting a promising route for high‐performance, eco‐friendly gel electrolytes, this research advances flexible electronics and portable device applications, demonstrating the profound potential of bio‐based polymers in enhancing energy storage technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]