Enabling and Boosting Preferential Epitaxial Zinc Growth via Multi‐Interface Regulation for Stable and Dendrite‐Free Zinc Metal Batteries

Abstract

AbstractThe practical application of aqueous Zn‐metal anodes (AZMAs) is mainly impeded by the short cycling life and unsatisfactory reversibility springing from the notorious Zn dendrite growth and detrimental water‐induced parasitic reactions at anode‐electrolyte interface. To tackle these challenges, a multifunctional interface of Sn‐modified Ti3C2Cl2 MXene (denoted as Sn‐MXene) with high zincophilic and hydrophobic properties is rationally designed via a 1‐step strategy with a novel molten salt etching to achieve dendrite‐free Zn deposition. Experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that the Sn nanoparticles can induce a strongly zincophilic surface with high Zn2+ adsorption, and the Ti3C2Cl2 MXene significantly decreases the surface energy of the Zn (002) plane, guiding the zinc‐preferred orientation along the (002) plane in the electroplating growth process. Moreover, the hydrophobic properties of ‐Cl terminations of the protective interface for the Zn anode can regulate Zn‐ion solvation structure to mitigate H2O‐decomposition‐induced side reactions, and guarantee a steady stream of Zn2+ flux. Encouragingly, benefiting from the Sn‐MXene layer, a side reaction‐free and dendrite‐free Zn anode with an excellent lifespan is achieved, which is further applied as an anode for full battery (Sn‐MXene‐Zn//α‐MnO2) with a long‐term span over 800 cycles under 1 A g–1 with a capacity retention of 96%.