Biomass materials for zinc-based sustainable and green energy storage devices: Strategy and mechanism

As next-generation rechargeable alternatives, zinc-based energy storage devices (ZESs) are being intensely explored due to their merits of abundant resource, low cost, safety and environmental benignity. However, ZESs face a succession of critical challenges on pursuing advancing performance, including the stability and kinetics of cathode, stability and transport of zinc electrolyte, reversibility and deep utilization of metallic Zn anode. Biomass, possessing unique molecular structures with abundant functionals groups, motivates the interdisciplinary field emerging from biomass and aqueous rechargeable battery. Concerning its high compatibility with ZES design, we here summarize the application of biomass materials in ZESs from the aspects of cathode, electrolyte, membrane/separator and Zn anode, with their corresponding operational mechanisms and attractive functionalities from polymeric structures. Accordingly, the outlooks and perspectives are provided, regarding current challenges and future directions. We anticipate our minireview paves way on exploring the roles of biomass in aqueous rechargeable batteries.